Malcolm Rivera
The Eighteenth Amendment, which prohibited the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcohol, was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1917 and ratified in 1919, marking the beginning of the Prohibition Era in the United States. The amendment was officially incorporated into the Constitution and enforced by the Volstead Act, which defined the terms and methods of Prohibition. Despite initial positive effects, such as a decline in alcohol consumption and alcohol-related crimes, the policy ultimately lasted for only 13 years due to its inability to prevent mass alcohol distribution and the rise of organized crime. In 1933, the Eighteenth Amendment was repealed and superseded by the Twenty-first Amendment, bringing an end to Prohibition at the federal level.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Amendment number | Eighteenth Amendment |
| Date of proposal | December 18, 1917 |
| Date of ratification | January 16, 1919 |
| Date prohibition came into effect | January 17, 1919 |
| Date of repeal | December 5, 1933 |
| Number of years prohibition was in effect | 14 |
| Amendment that repealed the Eighteenth Amendment | Twenty-first Amendment |
| Date Mississippi lifted Prohibition-era laws | 1966 |
| Date Kansas lifted ban on public bars | 1987 |
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What You'll Learn
The Eighteenth Amendment
> After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited. The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
The Amendment's impact was significant, leading to a sudden surge in illegal alcohol manufacturing and the rise of organised crime syndicates. While there was an initial decline in alcohol consumption, especially among low-income groups, the enforcement of Prohibition proved challenging, particularly in cities. Alcohol smuggling, known as rum-running or bootlegging, and illicit bars, called speakeasies, became prevalent.
Public sentiment towards Prohibition began to turn negative during the 1920s, with 1932 Democratic presidential nominee Franklin D. Roosevelt calling for its repeal. The negative perception was influenced by the rise of organised crime, economic factors such as the 1929 stock market crash, and the realisation that Prohibition was not effectively stopping alcohol consumption. The Eighteenth Amendment was ultimately repealed and overridden by the Twenty-first Amendment, which was ratified on December 5, 1933, marking the end of the nationwide Prohibition Era.
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The Twenty-first Amendment
The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which brought about the Prohibition Era, was ratified on January 16, 1919, and came into force a year later on January 17, 1920. The Twenty-first Amendment, which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, was proposed by the 72nd Congress on February 20, 1933, and was ratified on December 5, 1933. It is the only amendment to have been ratified by state ratifying conventions.
The Eighteenth Amendment banned the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, to, or from the United States. While the amendment did not forbid the consumption of alcohol, an underground market for alcohol emerged, and criminal organisations increased their involvement in alcohol production. By the 1930s, overall public sentiment toward prohibition had flipped from positive to negative, and Congress was compelled to act.
In the decades since the Twenty-first Amendment, a series of Supreme Court decisions have been argued and ruled over, specifically regarding Section 2. Certain states have argued in favour of their implied authority to regulate the transportation of certain types of alcoholic beverages under the Commerce Clause and the Dormant Commerce Clause. The rulings have set general guidelines regarding the limitations of advertising beverages and their prices, and allowed percentages in certain counties and municipalities within states.
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The Volstead Act
The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which established the prohibition of alcoholic drinks, was ratified on January 16, 1919, and went into effect on January 17, 1920. The National Prohibition Act, informally known as the Volstead Act, was passed to enforce the Eighteenth Amendment.
The immediate impact of the Volstead Act appeared to be positive, with a decline in crimes that temperance organizations attributed to alcohol consumption. However, the Act also led to unintended consequences, including the rise of illegal alcohol manufacturing, bootlegging, and the formation of criminal syndicates. As a result, public perception of the Eighteenth Amendment became negative by the end of the 1920s.
On February 20, 1933, Congress proposed a new amendment to end prohibition, and it was ratified on December 5, 1933. The Twenty-first Amendment, which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, marked the end of Prohibition in the United States. However, certain states continued to enforce Prohibition-era laws, with Mississippi being the last state to lift its laws in 1966.
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The rise of organised crime
The Eighteenth Amendment, which brought about the Prohibition Era of the United States, was ratified on January 16, 1919, and went into effect on January 17, 1920. It banned the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, to, or from the United States. While the amendment's immediate impact appeared positive, with a decline in alcohol-related crimes, it also fostered the rise of organised crime and the American Mafia.
Before the Eighteenth Amendment, criminal gangs were local menaces, running protection rackets and vice enterprises. However, the illegal alcohol business transformed everything. The demand for prohibited beer, wine, and liquor was enormous, and mob bosses like Al Capone made millions of dollars annually in the mid-1920s ($1.4 billion in 2018). Capone's criminal enterprise reached an estimated $100 million in revenue from liquor distribution, speakeasies, beer brewing, gambling, prostitution, and other rackets.
The illegal alcohol trade required interstate and international operations. Gang leaders had to make deals and forge mutual protection pacts across state and international borders and ethnic lines. This gave rise to syndicated crime, with cooperation between criminal groups. For instance, Charles "Lucky" Luciano brought together New York's biggest Italian and Jewish mobsters to dominate the city's bootlegging business. In Chicago, Johnny Torrio maintained a fragile peace between his Italian-run operation and the Irish and Polish gangs working the North Side.
As organised crime syndicates grew, American cities became violent battlegrounds, with homicides, burglaries, and assaults increasing significantly between 1920 and 1933. Law enforcement struggled to keep up, and the rise in crime, along with public opposition, led Franklin Delano Roosevelt to campaign for Prohibition's repeal in 1932. On February 20, 1933, Congress proposed a new amendment to end Prohibition, which was ratified on December 5, 1933, marking the end of the Eighteenth Amendment and the beginning of the Twenty-first Amendment.
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The impact on alcohol consumption
The Eighteenth Amendment, which brought about the Prohibition Era, was ratified on January 16, 1919, and enforced from January 17, 1920, until December 5, 1933, when it was repealed by the Twenty-first Amendment.
The Eighteenth Amendment prohibited the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcohol but did not outlaw its consumption. While there was an initial reduction in alcohol consumption, particularly among low-income groups, and a decline in crimes associated with drunkenness, the Amendment ultimately failed to prevent the mass distribution of alcoholic beverages. An underground market formed, and criminal organizations increased their involvement in the illicit alcohol trade. This led to a rise in organized crime and the creation of large-scale, well-funded, and well-armed criminal syndicates.
The consumption of alcohol soon climbed again as entrepreneurs began producing dangerous "rotgut" alcohol. The rise of home-distilled alcohol led to an increase in careless distilling, resulting in thousands of deaths from wood alcohol (methanol) poisoning. However, during Prohibition, the rate of alcohol abuse remained significantly lower than before the enactment of the Eighteenth Amendment.
The difficulty of enforcing the nationwide ban varied, with smuggling and illicit bars becoming particularly popular in cities. Alcohol smuggling, known as rum-running or bootlegging, and the operation of speakeasies, became prevalent across the country. As Prohibition became increasingly unpopular, public sentiment turned against it, and its repeal was eagerly anticipated.
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Frequently asked questions
14 years, from 1919 to 1933.
The Eighteenth Amendment, which brought about Prohibition, was ratified on January 16, 1919.
Prohibition was repealed on December 5, 1933, by the Twenty-first Amendment.
The Eighteenth Amendment prohibited the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcohol across the United States. However, it did not ban the consumption, possession, or production of alcohol for private use.
While there was an initial reduction in alcohol consumption and alcohol-related hospitalizations, an underground market for alcohol soon emerged, leading to a rise in organized crime and gang-related violence.
