Lena Savoie
The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which passed in 1919, prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquors within the United States, as well as the importation and exportation of alcohol. This amendment, also known as Prohibition, was the result of decades of efforts by temperance movements, which argued that banning alcohol would eliminate poverty and improve societal issues. While the Eighteenth Amendment did not outlaw the consumption of alcohol or drinking establishments, it led to an increase in illegal alcohol production and distribution, with organised crime syndicates like the Mafia controlling the illicit liquor trade. The amendment was eventually repealed by the Twenty-first Amendment on December 5, 1933, due to its lack of popularity and the rise in crime and other negative consequences associated with it.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of Amendment | Eighteenth Amendment |
| Date proposed by Congress | December 18, 1917 |
| Date ratified | January 16, 1919 |
| Date repealed | December 5, 1933 |
| Ratified by | 46 out of 48 states |
| Support in House of Representatives | 68% |
| Support in Senate | 76% |
| Amendment that repealed it | Twenty-first Amendment |
| Groups that campaigned for it | The Anti-Saloon League, The Woman's Christian Temperance Union |
| Aim of the Amendment | To establish the prohibition of alcohol in the United States |
| What it made illegal | Manufacture, sale, transportation, or possession of beverages with 0.5% or greater alcohol by volume |
| What it didn't make illegal | Consumption of alcohol, religious use of wine, private ownership of alcohol |
| Effects | Increased crime, especially in large cities, emergence of illegal alcohol distribution channels, rise in organised crime |
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What You'll Learn
The Eighteenth Amendment
Despite the Eighteenth Amendment, nationwide enforcement of Prohibition proved difficult, particularly in cities. Alcohol smuggling (known as rum-running or bootlegging) and illicit bars (speakeasies) became popular in many areas. The amendment also lacked a centralized authority for enforcement, and the varied terrain of the United States made it difficult for Prohibition agents to stop bootleggers. As the production and sale of alcohol went further underground, it began to be controlled by the Mafia and other gangs, which transformed into sophisticated criminal enterprises that reaped huge profits from the illicit liquor trade.
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The Volstead Act
The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which was proposed by Congress on December 18, 1917, and ratified on January 16, 1919, established the prohibition of alcohol in the United States. The amendment declared the production, transport, and sale of intoxicating liquors illegal, but it did not outlaw the consumption of alcohol.
To enforce this amendment, Congress passed the Volstead Act (also known as the National Prohibition Act), which was enacted in 1919 and took effect in 1920. The act was named for Minnesota Rep. Andrew Volstead, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, who championed the bill and prohibition. The Volstead Act consisted of three main sections: previously enacted war Prohibition, Prohibition as designated by the Eighteenth Amendment, and industrial alcohol use.
Alcohol used for medical purposes remained legal under the Volstead Act, although physicians were limited to prescribing their patients one pint of spirits every ten days. Religious leaders could also acquire permits to provide alcohol for sacramental purposes. Alcohol for industrial purposes was allowed under Title III of the act.
Despite the Volstead Act, enforcement of Prohibition proved challenging. People found clever ways to evade Prohibition agents, and many local and state authorities were unwilling to commit the necessary resources to enforce the law. As a result, illegal alcohol distribution, such as speakeasies, bootlegging, and illegal distilling operations, became widespread. The act also contributed to the rise of organized crime, as the production and sale of alcohol went underground and was controlled by criminal gangs and sophisticated criminal enterprises that reaped huge profits from the illicit liquor trade.
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The temperance movement
During the mid-1800s, newly arrived immigrants from Germany and elsewhere increased beer's popularity, and the temperance movement and continued westward expansion caused farmers to abandon their cider orchards. In 1869, the Prohibition Party was founded, and in 1874 the Woman's Christian Temperance Union was formed, representing the two strategic approaches of the movement. Temperance and abstinence became the objects of education and legislation in many regions. In 1893, the Anti-Saloon League (ASL) began a campaign to ban the sale of alcohol at the state level. Their speeches, advertisements, and public demonstrations claimed that prohibition of alcohol would eliminate poverty and ameliorate social problems such as immoral sexual behavior and violence.
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The Twenty-first Amendment
The amendment expressly repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, which had banned the production, transport, and sale of intoxicating liquors, although it did not outlaw the consumption of alcohol. The Twenty-first Amendment's Section 1 states: "The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed." Section 2 of the amendment prohibits the importation of alcohol into states and territories that have laws prohibiting its consumption or importation, and gives states broad powers to regulate alcohol within their borders.
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The rise of organised crime
The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which came into effect in January 1920, banned the manufacture and sale of alcohol. While it was intended to reduce poverty and societal problems such as violence and immoral sexual behaviour, it had several unintended consequences, the most dangerous of which was the rise of organised crime and the American Mafia.
Before Prohibition, criminal gangs were local menaces, running protection rackets and engaging in vice entrepreneurship. However, the illegal alcohol market created a massive business opportunity, and to keep up with the demand for alcohol, gang leaders started making deals with each other, forming inter-ethnic and interstate alliances. The new alcohol trafficking gangs included Italians, Irish, Jews, and Poles, and while inter-gang rivalries and violence were common, they worked together to supply Americans with beer, wine, and liquor.
The Sicilian Mafia, for example, had been active in cities like New York and Kansas City before 1920, making money through the "Black Hand" racket, which involved sending cryptic letters demanding payments from ethnic Italians with threats of violence or death. With the onset of Prohibition, they expanded their operations into alcohol trafficking. Similarly, the Five Points gang in New York had been sanctioned by the political machine Tammany Hall to run gambling and brothel rackets before Prohibition.
The illegal alcohol market also brought in massive profits, with mob kingpins like Al Capone making an estimated $60 million annually from bootlegging and speakeasy operations. Capone's criminal operation reached an estimated $100 million in revenue in the late 1920s (nearly $1.4 billion in 2016) from liquor distribution, speakeasies, beer brewing, gambling, prostitution, and other rackets. To protect their operations, gangs bribed police and politicians, and this led to a rise in corruption.
Organised crime syndicates also grew in power and influence, and as they battled for territory, cities became violent battlegrounds. Homicides, burglaries, and assaults increased significantly between 1920 and 1933, and law enforcement struggled to keep up. The murder rate, for example, rose to record highs due to gangland killings.
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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 prohibited the manufacture, importation, sale, and transport of alcohol. It also banned the production, transport, and sale of intoxicating liquors, although it did not make the consumption of alcohol illegal.
The Eighteenth Amendment was proposed by Congress on December 18, 1917, and ratified by 46 out of 48 states on January 16, 1919.
The Eighteenth Amendment was the product of decades of efforts by the temperance movement, which argued that banning alcohol would eliminate poverty and ameliorate social problems such as immoral sexual behavior and violence.
