Synopsis
In 1920, the ratification of the 18th Amendment and the Volstead Act transformed the production, transportation, and sale of alcohol in the United States from a regulated industry into a constitutional violation, instantly creating a massive black market for liquor. J. Anne Funderburg's "Rumrunners: Liquor Smugglers on America's Coasts, 1920-1933" chronicles the daring operations of maritime smugglers who supplied this demand by importing high-quality foreign spirits—primarily from the Bahamas, Cuba, and other Caribbean sources—along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts.
The book details how rumrunners modified fast boats with powerful engines to outrun the U.S. Coast Guard's "Dry Navy," often engaging in high-speed chases, evasive maneuvers, and nighttime deliveries to secluded beaches and hidden coves. It profiles colorful figures such as Bill McCoy (whose name became synonymous with unadulterated "the real McCoy" liquor), the "Bahama Queen," and the "Gulf Stream Pirate," who risked arrest, shipwrecks, and violent confrontations to keep America supplied with rum, whiskey, and gin. Funderburg draws from contemporary newspaper accounts, legal records, and Coast Guard documents to show not only the smugglers' ingenuity and bravado but also the widespread corruption of officials, the cat-and-mouse tactics employed on both sides, and the enormous profits that fueled the operation.
Ultimately, the narrative captures the spirit of the Prohibition era's coastal underworld, illustrating how these seaborne entrepreneurs thrived until the repeal of the 18th Amendment in 1933 brought the golden age of rumrunning to a close. The account is lively and well-researched, emphasizing the human drama, technological adaptations, and cultural impact of this illicit maritime trade.