Jonah Patel
The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which was ratified on January 16, 1919, established the prohibition of alcohol in the country. The amendment was proposed by Congress on December 18, 1917, and was the product of decades of efforts by the temperance movement, which argued that banning the sale of alcohol would help alleviate societal issues such as poverty, alcoholism, and saloon-based political corruption. The Eighteenth Amendment made it illegal to manufacture, transport, and sell intoxicating liquors, although it did not prohibit the consumption of alcohol. To enforce the amendment, Congress passed the Volstead Act, also known as the National Prohibition Act, which defined the procedures for banning the distribution of alcohol, including production and distribution. Despite the amendment, a black market for alcohol emerged, leading to the rise of organised crime syndicates and widespread corruption in law enforcement. The Eighteenth Amendment was eventually repealed on December 5, 1933, by the Twenty-first Amendment, which overturned the nationwide prohibition on alcohol.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Eighteenth Amendment |
| Date proposed | December 17, 1917 |
| Date ratified | January 16, 1919 |
| Date repealed | December 5, 1933 |
| Repealed by | Twenty-first Amendment |
| Purpose | To prohibit the manufacture, transportation, distribution, and sale of alcohol |
| Impact | Sudden surge of illegal alcohol manufacturing, increase in organized crime, and a decline in tax revenue |
| Notable figures | Wayne Wheeler, Andrew Volstead, Al Capone |
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What You'll Learn
The Eighteenth Amendment
To enforce the Eighteenth Amendment, Congress passed the Volstead Act, also known as the National Prohibition Act, on October 28, 1919. The act defined intoxicating beverages as anything containing more than half of one per cent alcohol and made it illegal to "manufacture, sell, barter, transport, import, export, deliver, furnish, or possess" such beverages. The act set the starting date for nationwide prohibition as January 17, 1920, the earliest date allowed by the Eighteenth Amendment.
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The Volstead Act
The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which established the prohibition of alcohol in the country, was proposed by Congress on December 18, 1917, and ratified by the requisite number of states on January 16, 1919. Shortly after the amendment was ratified, Congress passed the Volstead Act, also known as the National Prohibition Act, to provide for the federal enforcement of Prohibition. The act was named after Minnesota Rep. Andrew Volstead, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, who championed the bill and prohibition.
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The National Prohibition Act
The Eighteenth Amendment was the result of decades of efforts by the temperance movement, which argued that banning the sale of alcohol would help alleviate poverty and other societal problems. By 1916, 23 of 48 states had already passed laws against saloons, and some had even banned the manufacture of alcohol. The amendment was proposed by Congress on December 18, 1917, and ratified by the requisite number of states on January 16, 1919.
The act also made a distinction between the illegality of alcohol for consumption and the authorization of alcohol for scientific, religious, and industrial purposes. It established the legal definition of intoxicating liquors and set out penalties for producing them, including property forfeiture. The act also declared every place where liquor was illegally manufactured, sold, or kept to be a nuisance.
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![The Eighteenth Amendment, by David A. Murphy. (1923) [Leather Bound]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61FbOFgXaEL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
The Twenty-first Amendment
The Eighteenth Amendment, also known as the Prohibition Amendment, had been ratified on January 16, 1919, after years of advocacy by the temperance movement. It prohibited the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcohol, though it did not ban its consumption. The amendment was the product of decades of efforts by the temperance movement, which argued that banning alcohol would address societal problems such as poverty, alcoholism, and saloon-based political corruption.
However, the Eighteenth Amendment ultimately proved highly unpopular. Despite the amendment, many Americans continued to drink, fuelling the rise of organised crime and a profitable black market for alcohol. Crime rates soared as gangsters, such as Chicago's Al Capone, became rich from the illicit alcohol trade. There was also widespread corruption among law enforcement agencies, and the federal government was incapable of stemming the tide.
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The rise of organised crime
The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which came into effect in January 1920, established the prohibition of alcohol in the United States. The amendment was proposed by Congress on December 18, 1917, and ratified by the requisite number of states on January 16, 1919. The Eighteenth Amendment was the product of decades of efforts by the temperance movement, which argued that banning the sale of alcohol would reduce poverty and other societal problems.
The overwhelming business opportunity of illegal alcohol changed everything for criminal gangs. Before Prohibition, gangs were local menaces, running protection rackets on neighbourhood businesses and dabbling in vice entrepreneurship. However, the illegal alcohol business required interstate and international operations. Mobsters couldn't work in isolation if they wanted to maximize profits. This led to the rise of organised crime syndicates, with the term "organised crime" itself only entering popular usage after Prohibition began.
The largest syndicates born out of Prohibition were based in New York and Chicago, both port cities with considerable populations of immigrants from Italy, Ireland, Poland, and other parts of Europe. One of the most famous examples of organised crime controlling illegal alcohol production was that of Al Capone, whose criminal operation at its height in the late 1920s reached an estimated $100 million in revenue (nearly $1.4 billion in 2016) from liquor distribution, speakeasies, beer brewing, gambling, prostitution, and other rackets. Capone spent half a million dollars a month in bribes to police, politicians, and federal investigators.
When Prohibition was finally repealed in 1933, the cash grab was over for the gangs, but the sophisticated black-market business schemes and money-laundering tactics of organised crime were here to stay. The biggest gangs shifted their operations away from alcohol and into secondary businesses like drugs, gambling, and prostitution.
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Frequently asked questions
The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution established the prohibition of alcohol in the United States.
The Eighteenth Amendment banned the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcohol. It did not, however, outlaw the consumption of alcohol or explicitly prohibit its production for private, personal use.
The Eighteenth Amendment was proposed by Congress on December 18, 1917, and ratified by the requisite number of states on January 16, 1919.
The Eighteenth Amendment led to a sudden surge in illegal alcohol manufacturing and the emergence of organised crime syndicates that controlled the complex chain of operations involved in the manufacture and distribution of alcohol. It also resulted in widespread corruption in law enforcement as criminal organisations bribed officials.
