During the early 1900’s the temperance movement was beginning to take hold on America. As states began passing laws that banned alcohol sales and consumption the federal government followed suit and Prohibition was born (the dark times). These actions created a massive black market for distilled spirits. Soon, bootleggers that barely made any money off of their whiskey became rich overnight. The ever increasing demand for distilled spirits during this time led to cheaper ways of making moonshine. Due to the Federal Governments actions, moonshining became less about heritage and more about profit….leading to rampant violence and gang warfare. Prohibition was repealed in 1933 (hooray) and the market for bootleg grew thin. Moonshine continued to be a problem for authorities well into the 20th century but few cases were ever heard in the court. 

Moonshine has contributed greatly to our society and its effects can still be seen. If you like soft drinks, you may be interested to know that moonshine led to that beverage as we know it today. During the 17th century, European Governments began demanding higher taxes for any drinks that contained more than three percent alcohol. This led to beverage manufactures distilling the alcohol out of beers made from ginger and sarsaparilla. They would then sell the left over alcohol byproduct as a tax free beverage…these were the World’s first soft drinks.