"We want beer!"

May 14, 1932 - With unemployment at record levels and the economy in the crapper, 100,000 New Yorkers took to the streets on this day. Their message was loud and clear: “We want beer!”

Supporters argued that legalizing beer would create thousands of jobs and lift the spirits of a nation trapped in the depths of the Great Depression. Government officials also recognized another benefit — alcohol taxes could generate desperately needed revenue.

In Detroit, demonstrators marched through the streets chanting, “Who wants a bottle of beer?” The crowd roared back, “I do!”

The debate raged for another 11 months. In fact, the “wet vote” helped propel Franklin D. Roosevelt into the White House. Shortly after taking office, Roosevelt pushed Congress to dismantle Prohibition.

Just after midnight on April 7, 1933, Americans could legally buy beer once again. In New York City alone, an estimated 1.5 million gallons were consumed on the very first day.

As a token of appreciation to Roosevelt, brewer August A. Busch Jr. sent a celebratory shipment of beer to the White House aboard a bright red wagon pulled by six Clydesdale horse — an image that would become one of the most enduring symbols in American advertising history.