Eleanor Finch
The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which established a nationwide ban on the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol, was repealed by the Twenty-first Amendment in December 1933. This was the only time in American history that a constitutional amendment was repealed. The Eighteenth Amendment led to a decline in alcohol consumption, but nationwide enforcement of Prohibition proved difficult, and public sentiment began to turn against it during the 1920s. The Twenty-first Amendment is unique not only for being the only amendment to repeal a prior amendment but also for being the only amendment to have been ratified by state ratifying conventions.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Eighteenth Amendment |
| Ratified | January 16, 1919 |
| Established | Prohibition of alcohol in the United States |
| Ratified by | Congress |
| Repealed by | Twenty-First Amendment |
| Repeal date | December 5, 1933 |
| Reasoning | Crime and ineffectiveness associated with prohibition |
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What You'll Learn
The Eighteenth Amendment
The amendment declared the production, transport, and sale of intoxicating liquors illegal, although it did not outlaw the consumption of alcohol. The National Prohibition Act, better known as the Volstead Act, was passed to enforce and define the Amendment's language. It set the starting date for nationwide prohibition as January 17, 1920, the earliest date allowed by the Eighteenth Amendment.
Despite the decline in alcohol consumption that the Eighteenth Amendment achieved, it was largely considered a failure. It proved unable to prevent the mass distribution of alcoholic beverages, and it inadvertently caused a massive increase in organized crime. Alcohol smuggling, illicit bars, gambling, and prostitution became more common, and criminal organizations increased their involvement in alcohol production.
Public sentiment turned against Prohibition by the late 1920s, and Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1932 presidential campaign included a plan for repealing the amendment. The Twenty-first Amendment, which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment and modified the Volstead Act to permit the sale of beer, was proposed by Congress in February 1933 and ratified on December 5, 1933. The Eighteenth Amendment is the only Constitutional amendment in American history to be repealed.
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Prohibition of alcohol
The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution established the prohibition of alcohol in the country. 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 culmination of decades of efforts by the temperance movement, which argued that a ban on the sale of alcohol would alleviate poverty and other societal issues such as immoral sexual behaviour and violence. The movement was particularly driven by religious revivalism and the belief that alcohol was a destructive force in families and marriages.
The Eighteenth Amendment made the production, transportation, and sale of intoxicating liquors illegal, but it did not prohibit the consumption of alcohol. Despite the legislation, millions of Americans continued to drink liquor illegally, leading to the emergence of bootlegging, speakeasies, and a period of gangsterism. Criminals devised new ways to supply Americans with alcohol, such as smuggling it into the country or distilling their own. Speakeasies, which were establishments that served alcohol illegally, proliferated, often operating in the back rooms of seemingly legitimate businesses.
The act was largely a failure, as it was unable to prevent the mass distribution of alcoholic beverages and inadvertently caused a massive increase in organised crime. Public sentiment began to turn against Prohibition during the 1920s, and the Great Depression further hastened its demise, as opponents argued that the ban on alcohol denied jobs to the unemployed and revenue to the government. In 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Democratic presidential nominee, included a plan for repealing the Eighteenth Amendment in his platform, and his victory that November sealed the fate of Prohibition.
On December 5, 1933, the Twenty-first Amendment was ratified, repealing the Eighteenth Amendment and ending Prohibition in the United States.
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The Twenty-First Amendment
Section 1 of the Twenty-First Amendment expressly repeals the Eighteenth Amendment, while Section 2 bans the importation of alcohol into states and territories that have laws prohibiting the importation or consumption of alcohol. Several states continued to be "dry states" in the years after the repealing of the Eighteenth Amendment, and some continue to closely regulate the distribution of alcohol today.
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The Volstead Act
The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which established the prohibition of alcohol, was the only constitutional amendment in American history to be repealed. The road to its repeal began with the Volstead Act, which was enacted to provide enforcement for the Eighteenth Amendment.
The passage of the Volstead Act was influenced by a combination of factors. One argument made by prohibitionists was that grain used to make whiskey and other scarce resources needed to be conserved for the war effort during World War I. Additionally, the Anti-Saloon League, formed in 1893, played a significant role in pushing for national prohibition by exploiting the prejudice and suspicion of foreigners following the war. They claimed that drinking was pro-German, and their efforts resulted in several states banning alcohol before 1917.
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Public sentiment
The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which established a nationwide ban on the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol, was ratified on January 16, 1919, after years of advocacy by the temperance movement. The movement argued that prohibition would eliminate poverty and improve social issues such as immoral sexual behaviour and violence.
However, by the 1920s, public sentiment had turned against Prohibition, and the amendment's failure to prevent mass distribution of alcoholic beverages and its inadvertent fuelling of organised crime further contributed to growing disillusionment. The Great Depression also hastened the demise of the amendment, as opponents argued that the ban denied jobs to the unemployed and revenue to the government. The nonpartisan Association Against the Prohibition Amendment (AAPA) further added to public disillusionment.
In 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt's Democratic presidential campaign included a plan for repealing the amendment, and his victory in November 1933 led to the end of Prohibition. On February 20, 1933, Congress proposed the Twenty-first Amendment, which was ratified by the requisite number of states on December 5, 1933, officially repealing the Eighteenth Amendment.
The Twenty-first Amendment is unique in the history of the United States Constitution as the only amendment to repeal a prior amendment and the first to be ratified by popular vote rather than state legislatures. The amendment's ratification marked the end of the Prohibition era, which lasted from 1920 to 1933, and allowed states to directly vote on its ratification.
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Frequently asked questions
The Eighteenth Amendment to the US Constitution was repealed by the Twenty-first Amendment.
The Eighteenth Amendment prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol.
The Eighteenth Amendment was passed on January 16, 1919, and repealed on December 5, 1933.
The Eighteenth Amendment was repealed because it was largely ineffective and led to an increase in organised crime.
