Vivian Marlowe
The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified on January 16, 1919, outlawed the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages. The amendment was the culmination of decades of efforts by the temperance movement, which argued that banning alcohol would improve public morals and ameliorate societal problems such as poverty. While the amendment did not outlaw alcohol consumption, it led to a decline in alcohol consumption in the United States and the rise of bootlegging and speakeasies.
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What You'll Learn
The Eighteenth Amendment
The push for Prohibition at the local, state, and federal levels was spearheaded by the Anti-Saloon League, which received significant support from Protestant evangelical congregations. Other groups, such as the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, also played a role in the movement. By 1916, 23 of 48 states had passed laws against saloons, and some had even banned the manufacture of alcohol. The Eighteenth Amendment was proposed by the U.S. Senate on December 18, 1917, and ratified just over a year later when Nebraska became the 36th state to approve it.
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The Volstead Act
The National Prohibition Act was first proposed by Richmond Hobson and later drafted by attorney Wayne Wheeler of the Anti-Saloon League. The bill was vetoed by President Woodrow Wilson, but Congress overrode his veto, and the Volstead Act was passed on October 28, 1919, taking effect on January 16, 1920.
The Eighteenth Amendment and the Volstead Act were eventually repealed by the Twenty-first Amendment on December 5, 1933, ending Prohibition.
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The temperance movement
The earliest temperance organizations seem to have been those founded in Saratoga, New York, in 1808, and in Massachusetts in 1813. In 1810, Calvinist ministers met in a seminary in Massachusetts to write articles about abstinence from alcohol to use in preaching to their congregations. The Massachusetts Society for the Suppression of Intemperance (MSSI) was formed in 1813. The organization only accepted men of high social standing and encouraged moderation in alcohol consumption. Its peak of influence was in 1818, and it ended in 1820, having made no significant mark on the future of the temperance movement. Other small temperance societies appeared in the 1810s, but had little impact outside their immediate regions and they disbanded soon after.
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the temperance movement became prominent in many countries, particularly in English-speaking, Scandinavian, and majority Protestant ones. It eventually led to national prohibitions in Canada (1918 to 1920), Norway (spirits only from 1919 to 1926), Finland (1919 to 1932), and the United States (1920 to 1933), as well as provincial prohibition in India (1948 to present).
Prohibition, as the extreme wing of the temperance movement, is one of the hallowed reforms from the 1840s. As the wave of state prohibition laws passed in the 1850s began to be repealed, prohibition agitators began to organize formally. The Prohibition Party was founded in 1869, and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union in 1874. When a second wave of state prohibition in the 1880s receded, both were superseded by the Anti-Saloon League, founded in 1893. Temperance and abstinence became the objects of education and legislation in many regions.
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State prohibition laws
The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified on January 16, 1919, outlawed the making, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages. It prohibited the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes within the United States. The Amendment also forbade the importation or exportation of beverage liquor into or from the country.
The Eighteenth Amendment was the culmination of a long history of state prohibition laws and efforts to curtail the alcohol industry. As early as the 1820s and 1830s, religious revivalism spurred movements towards perfectionism, including temperance and abolitionism. The first state prohibition law was passed in Maine in 1846, and by 1881, Kansas became the first state to outlaw alcoholic beverages in its Constitution.
The movement gained momentum in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with many communities introducing alcohol bans. By 1917, the widespread proliferation of state prohibition laws and Congress's enactment of wartime restrictions on alcohol laid the foundation for nationwide Prohibition. The Eighteenth Amendment was proposed by Congress on December 18, 1917, and ratified by 46 out of 48 states, taking effect on January 17, 1920.
The Volstead Act, passed in October 1919, served as the enabling legislation for the Eighteenth Amendment, setting down the rules for enforcing the federal ban and defining prohibited alcoholic beverages. While it banned the production, sale, transportation, and possession of most alcoholic beverages, it did not prohibit all alcohol consumption. For example, religious use of wine and the production of small amounts of wine and cider for home use were permitted.
The Eighteenth Amendment and Volstead Act were eventually repealed by the Twenty-first Amendment on December 5, 1933, ending Prohibition nationwide, although some states continued to enforce it.
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![Historic Framed Print, [Congress, U.S. - women members: Mrs. Kahn, Mrs. Norton and John Phillip Hill - unofficial committee on modification of Volstead Act], 17-7/8" x 21-7/8"](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41+ad8r7vEL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
The Prohibition era
The temperance movement gained significant traction in the 1820s and 1830s, fuelled by religious revivalism. Groups such as the Woman's Christian Temperance Union and the Anti-Saloon League played pivotal roles in advocating for prohibition. The latter, in particular, became a powerful political force, influencing legislation at the local, state, and federal levels. By 1916, 23 out of 48 states had passed laws against saloons, and some even banned alcohol manufacturing.
The Eighteenth Amendment prohibited the manufacture, sale, transportation, and importation of intoxicating liquors within the United States. However, it did not outlaw the possession or consumption of alcohol, creating legal loopholes. To address this, Congress passed the Volstead Act, also known as the National Prohibition Act, to enforce Prohibition and define the terms used in the amendment. The Volstead Act classified liquor, wine, and beer as intoxicating liquors and prohibited their production, sale, transportation, and possession.
Despite the noble intentions of the temperance movement, the Prohibition era had unintended consequences. Alcohol smuggling, known as rum-running or bootlegging, and illicit bars, called speakeasies, became prevalent. An entire black market emerged, giving rise to organised crime syndicates that controlled the complex chain of operations involved in the illicit alcohol trade. Corruption in law enforcement also became widespread as criminal organisations bribed officials to turn a blind eye.
Public sentiment towards Prohibition gradually turned negative during the 1920s, and the era was also detrimental to the economy, eliminating jobs in what had been a significant industry. The Twenty-first Amendment, ratified on December 5, 1933, ultimately repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, bringing an end to the Prohibition era.
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Frequently asked questions
The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified on January 16, 1919, outlawed the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages.
The Eighteenth Amendment came into effect on January 17, 1920, one year after it was ratified.
The Eighteenth Amendment led to a decline in alcohol consumption in the United States. However, it also resulted in the emergence of a black market, including bootleggers, speakeasies, and organised crime syndicates.
No, the consumption of alcohol was not outlawed. People could still possess and consume alcohol, and Section 29 of the Volstead Act allowed people to make wine and cider from fruit at home.
