Omar Bennett
The Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified on January 16, 1919, prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol in the United States. This amendment, also known as Prohibition, was the result of decades of efforts by the temperance movement, which argued that banning alcohol would eliminate poverty and improve societal issues such as immoral sexual behaviour and violence. While the Eighteenth Amendment banned the alcohol industry, it did not make drinking or purchasing alcoholic beverages illegal. The amendment was enforced by the Volstead Act, which set the start date for nationwide prohibition as January 17, 1920. Prohibition proved controversial, as it gave the federal government unprecedented power over individual social habits and morality. It was eventually repealed by the Twenty-first Amendment on December 5, 1933, marking the end of the Prohibition era.
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What You'll Learn
The Eighteenth Amendment
The amendment did not prohibit the consumption of alcohol, and it allowed for the licensed production, use, and sale of alcohol for specific industrial, medicinal, religious, and scientific purposes under state or local restrictions. However, it represented a significant shift in the federal government's role, as it now had the power to police individual social habits and morality, traditionally a state and local government domain.
To enforce the amendment, Congress passed the Volstead Act, also known as the National Prohibition Act, on October 28, 1919, despite President Woodrow Wilson's veto. The act set the start date for nationwide prohibition as January 17, 1920, and defined the procedures for enforcing the ban on the distribution of alcohol, including production and transportation.
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The Temperance Movement
The first international temperance organization was the Order of Good Templars, formed in 1851 in New York. The movement spread throughout the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and Scandinavia. In the mid-19th century, newly arrived German immigrants increased the popularity of beer, and the Temperance Movement, along with westward expansion, caused farmers to abandon their cider orchards. By the late 19th century, the Anti-Saloon League, founded in 1893, began campaigning to ban the sale of alcohol at the state level. They argued that prohibition would eliminate poverty, reduce immoral sexual behavior and violence, inspire new forms of sociability, create happier families, reduce workplace accidents, and improve the world.
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Prohibition
The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution banned the sale of alcohol. Proposed by Congress in December 1917 and ratified in January 1919, the amendment established the prohibition of alcohol in the United States. The Eighteenth Amendment was the culmination of decades of efforts by the temperance movement, which argued that banning the sale of alcohol would alleviate poverty and address societal issues such as immoral sexual behaviour and violence. The Anti-Saloon League, founded in 1893, played a significant role in the campaign, advocating that prohibition would foster happier families and improve society.
The Eighteenth Amendment specifically prohibited the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within the United States, as well as their importation and exportation. While it did not explicitly outlaw the consumption of alcohol, it made the production, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages illegal. To enforce this, Congress passed the Volstead Act, also known as the National Prohibition Act, which set the start date for nationwide prohibition as January 17, 1920. The act provided federal enforcement for the amendment, outlining procedures for banning the production and distribution of alcohol.
The Eighteenth Amendment was unique in that it granted the federal government broad powers to regulate activities traditionally managed by state and local governments, such as individual social habits and morality. This aspect of the amendment and the Volstead Act was controversial, as it represented an unprecedented extension of federal control over personal habits and conduct. Despite the ban, the Volstead Act allowed the licensed production, use, and sale of alcohol for specific industrial, medicinal, religious, and scientific purposes, subject to state or local restrictions. Additionally, individuals were permitted to possess legally acquired alcoholic beverages.
The Eighteenth Amendment was eventually repealed by the Twenty-first Amendment on December 5, 1933, marking the end of the Prohibition Era. The Twenty-first Amendment restored the authority to regulate the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol to the states, with Mississippi being the last state to lift its Prohibition-era laws in 1966. The Eighteenth Amendment stands as the only constitutional amendment in American history to be repealed, highlighting the significant impact of the temperance movement and the evolving social attitudes towards alcohol in the United States.
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The Volstead Act
The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution banned the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol. Shortly after its ratification on January 16, 1919, Congress passed the Volstead Act, also known as the National Prohibition Act, to enforce Prohibition at the federal level.
- War Prohibition, which had been enacted previously in November 1918 to conserve grain by prohibiting its use in the production of spirits.
- Prohibition as designated by the Eighteenth Amendment, which included fines and jail sentences for the manufacture, sale, and movement of alcoholic beverages, as well as regulations for law enforcement.
- Industrial alcohol use, which allowed for the use of alcohol in industries such as fuel, dye, and other lawful industries, as well as for medical and religious purposes.
The passage of the Volstead Act was influenced by groups such as the Anti-Saloon League, which argued that alcohol was responsible for many of society's problems and campaigned against its sale. The act faced challenges in its enforcement, with people finding creative ways to evade Prohibition agents and some states, such as Maryland, refusing to pass any enforcement measures.
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The Twenty-First Amendment
The Eighteenth Amendment had established a nationwide ban on the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol for beverage purposes within the United States. It also forbade the importation or exportation of alcoholic beverages. The amendment did not, however, outlaw the consumption of alcohol or its purchase for certain industrial, medicinal, religious, or scientific purposes. To enforce the amendment, Congress passed the Volstead Act, which provided for federal enforcement of Prohibition and set the start date for nationwide prohibition as January 17, 1920.
The full text of the Twenty-First Amendment is as follows: "The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed. The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or Possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress."
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Frequently asked questions
The Eighteenth Amendment.
The manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within the United States, as well as the importation and exportation of liquor into and from the country.
The amendment was proposed by Congress on December 18, 1917, and ratified on January 16, 1919.
The Eighteenth Amendment was the result of decades of efforts by the temperance movement, which included groups such as the Anti-Saloon League and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. They argued that banning alcohol would eliminate poverty and improve societal morals and overall well-being.
The Eighteenth Amendment was repealed on December 5, 1933, by the Twenty-first Amendment, making it the only constitutional amendment in American history to be repealed.
