Theo Nash
The Prohibition era in the United States lasted from 1920 to 1933, during which the Eighteenth Amendment prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages. However, the movement towards prohibition began much earlier, with the formation of the American Temperance Society (ATS) in 1826, which advocated for moderation and, in some cases, complete abstinence from alcohol. The first state to adopt prohibition legislation was Maine in 1851, which banned the manufacture and sale of liquor. Before its repeal in 1856, twelve states followed Maine's example and adopted total prohibition.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| State | Maine |
| Year | 1851 |
| Duration | 1851-1856 |
| Substance banned | Liquor |
| Subsequent states that followed | Delaware, Ohio, Illinois, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and New York |
| Number of states that followed | 12 |
| First state to ratify the Eighteenth Amendment | Mississippi |
| Date of ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment by Mississippi | January 8, 1918 |
| Thirty-sixth state to ratify the Eighteenth Amendment | Nebraska |
| Date of ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment by Nebraska | January 16, 1919 |
| Number of states that ratified the Eighteenth Amendment | 36 |
| Year Prohibition started | 1920 |
| Year Prohibition ended | 1933 |
| Amendment that ended Prohibition | Twenty-first Amendment |
| Date of ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment | December 5, 1933 |
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What You'll Learn
The Eighteenth Amendment
The amendment led to a decline in alcohol consumption in the United States, but it also gave rise to bootlegging (the illegal production and sale of liquor) and speakeasies (illegal, secretive drinking establishments), which were capitalized upon by organized crime. The amendment also had a unique collection of political, social, and industrial movements surrounding it, with beer and wine-producing parts of the country refusing to follow the amendment because their products were considered ""intoxicating liquors". This led to a sudden surge in illegal alcohol manufacturing, with criminal organizations increasing their involvement in the production and sale of liquor.
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The Volstead Act
On March 22, 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt signed an amendment to the Volstead Act, known as the Cullen-Harrison Act, allowing the manufacture and sale of 3.2% beer and light wines. The Eighteenth Amendment was officially repealed on December 5, 1933, with the ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment, bringing an end to the Prohibition era.
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The temperance movement
The early temperance movement focused on advising against hard spirits rather than abstinence from all alcohol, and on moral reform rather than legal measures. It was influenced by the religious revivalism sweeping the nation at the time, particularly the Second Great Awakening, an evangelical Protestant movement of the 1820s and 1830s that emphasized the creation of a perfect society. The movement was also influenced by the writings of ministers such as Lyman Beecher, who described drunkenness as a "national sin" in his 1826 book "Six Sermons on...Intemperance.".
The American Temperance Society (ATS), formed in 1826, helped initiate the first temperance movement and served as a foundation for later groups. By 1835, the ATS had reached 1.5 million members, with women constituting 35% to 60% of its chapters. The movement continued in the 1840s, spearheaded by pietistic religious denominations, especially the Methodists.
In the late 19th century, the temperance movement broadened its focus from abstinence to include all behaviour and institutions related to alcohol consumption. Preachers such as Reverend Mark A. Matthews linked liquor-dispensing saloons with political corruption. The movement achieved some successes in the 1850s, with the passage of the Maine law in 1851, which banned the manufacture and sale of liquor. Before its repeal in 1856, twelve states followed Maine's example and passed their own prohibition laws.
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The American Temperance Society
Within five years, the ATS had 2,220 local chapters in the U.S., with 170,000 members who pledged to abstain from drinking distilled beverages, excluding wine and beer. The pledge also permitted the medicinal use of alcohol. By 1835, the ATS had reached 1.5 million members, with women constituting 35% to 60% of its chapters. The society contributed to a broader reform sentiment in the country, promoting the abolition of slavery, expanding women's rights, temperance, and societal improvement.
The ATS benefited from and contributed to the religious revivalism sweeping the nation, particularly among Pietistic Protestants, who aimed to heal society of alcohol-related problems such as alcoholism, domestic violence, and political corruption. The movement advocated for moderation and, in its most extreme form, complete abstinence from alcohol consumption. While the ATS initially promoted voluntary abstinence, over time, temperance groups increasingly pushed for mandatory prohibition.
The ATS helped initiate the first temperance movement, serving as a foundation for later groups. The Prohibition movement, also known as the "dry crusade," continued in the 1840s, spearheaded by pietistic religious denominations, especially the Methodists. By the 1850s, the temperance movement had broadened its focus to include all behaviours and institutions related to alcohol consumption. The movement achieved some successes, including the Maine law, adopted in 1851, which banned the manufacture and sale of liquor. Before its repeal in 1856, twelve states followed Maine's example, implementing total prohibition.
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The Maine law
The movement for temperance had been gaining momentum since the 1820s and 1830s, driven by religious revivalism and the belief that alcohol was the root of societal problems such as alcoholism, domestic violence, and political corruption. By the late 19th century, the focus had broadened to include all behaviours and institutions related to alcohol consumption. The American Temperance Society (ATS), formed in 1826, played a significant role in the early movement, with a membership of 1.5 million by 1835.
Despite the repeal, prohibition was re-enacted in Maine in various forms over the following decades, and it even inspired similar movements internationally. By 1855, twelve states had followed Maine's lead and passed their own prohibition laws, including Delaware, Ohio, Illinois, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and New York.
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Frequently asked questions
While the Eighteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1919, was the first nationwide ban on the manufacture and sale of alcohol, the state of Maine was the first to pass a statutory implementation of the developing temperance movement in 1851. Following Maine's lead, prohibition laws were passed in several other states, including Delaware, Ohio, Illinois, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and New York.
The Eighteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, passed by Congress in 1917, prohibited the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcohol. It was ratified in 1919 and repealed in 1933 with the ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment.
The Eighteenth Amendment was the culmination of the temperance movement, which advocated for moderation or complete abstinence from alcohol. The movement began in the 1820s and gained traction following the proliferation of saloons after the Civil War. The American Temperance Society (ATS), formed in 1826, and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), founded in 1873, were key organizations in the movement.
While the Eighteenth Amendment successfully reduced per capita alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm initially, these benefits eroded over time. The development of a black market, the rise of organized crime, and the economic impact of the 1929 stock market crash contributed to a decline in public support for Prohibition. The amendment also led to the emergence of bootlegging, speakeasies, and a period of gangsterism as millions of Americans continued to drink liquor illegally.
