Noah Vinter
The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which established a nationwide ban on the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol, was the result of a decades-long temperance movement. The amendment was ratified on January 16, 1919, and enforced by the Volstead Act, which defined the types of alcoholic beverages that were prohibited. While the amendment did not ban the consumption of alcohol, it led to a decline in alcohol consumption and the formation of an underground market. The Twenty-first Amendment, which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, was ratified on December 5, 1933, and lifted the ban on alcohol while giving states the power to regulate the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol.
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![Prohibition Party Hand-Book, State of New York, 1906 1906 [Leather Bound]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/617DLHXyzlL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
What You'll Learn
The Eighteenth Amendment
The amendment was ratified by 46 out of 48 states, receiving a supermajority of 68% in the House of Representatives and 76% in the Senate. It passed with strong support from Republicans, with 137 voting in favor in the House and 29 in the Senate. Democrats also voted in favor, with 141 votes in the House and 36 in the Senate. However, there was opposition within both parties, particularly from Democratic senators.
Despite the initial positive outlook, the Eighteenth Amendment proved difficult to enforce nationwide, especially in cities. An underground market emerged, with illegal alcohol production and distribution becoming increasingly tied to organized crime. Public sentiment began to turn against Prohibition during the 1920s, and it was eventually repealed by the Twenty-first Amendment on December 5, 1933, making it the only Constitutional amendment in American history to be fully repealed.
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Prohibition
The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which established Prohibition, was the result of a decades-long temperance movement. The movement, which began in the 19th century, was driven by Pietistic Protestants who aimed to address societal issues caused by alcohol, such as alcoholism, domestic violence, and political corruption. The Anti-Saloon League (ASL), founded in 1893, played a significant role in the campaign to ban the sale of alcohol at the state level. The ASL argued that prohibition would eliminate poverty, reduce social problems, and create happier families.
The Eighteenth Amendment and Prohibition fell out of favour with the public due to ineffective and harsh enforcement, rising crime rates, and the need for tax revenue during the Great Depression. The Twenty-first Amendment, ratified on December 5, 1933, repealed the Eighteenth Amendment and ended Prohibition. However, it recognised the authority of states to regulate or prohibit alcoholic beverages within their jurisdictions for health, safety, and other non-protectionist purposes.
The repeal of Prohibition was unique in the history of the Constitution, as it was the first amendment ratified by state ratifying conventions rather than state legislatures. Despite the repeal, some states continued to be ""dry states," maintaining strict regulations on alcohol distribution. Additionally, the Twenty-first Amendment set a precedent for the interpretation of the Commerce Clause and the states' authority over the importation of intoxicants.
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The Volstead Act
The Eighteenth Amendment was the result of decades of efforts by the temperance movement, which argued that banning alcohol would eliminate poverty and ameliorate social problems such as immoral sexual behaviour, violence, crime, and other ills. The Anti-Saloon League, formed in 1893, became a powerful political force in passing a national ban on alcoholic beverages, claiming that drinking was pro-German and playing on the prejudice and suspicion of foreigners following World War I. The League also argued that prohibition would create happier families, reduce workplace accidents, and improve the world.
The Act faced resistance from Democratic senators and President Woodrow Wilson, who vetoed the bill. However, Congress overrode the veto, and the Volstead Act passed the Republican-led House of Representatives on July 22, 1919, with 287 in favour and 100 opposed.
Despite the Volstead Act, nationwide enforcement of Prohibition proved difficult, particularly in cities. People found clever ways to evade Prohibition agents, and criminal gangs took over the production, importation, and distribution of alcoholic beverages, leading to increased violence and organised crime. By the late 1920s, a new opposition to Prohibition emerged, arguing that it lowered tax revenue and imposed "rural" Protestant religious values on "urban" America. Prohibition was eventually repealed on December 5, 1933, with the ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment, which returned control over the regulation of alcohol to the states.
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The Twenty-first Amendment
The Eighteenth Amendment was the result of a long-standing temperance movement, which argued that banning alcohol would eliminate poverty and ameliorate social problems. The movement was taken up by progressives in the Prohibition, Democratic, and Republican parties. The amendment did not ban the consumption of alcohol but prohibited its sale, manufacture, and distribution. Despite the ban, many Americans continued to drink, and this gave rise to a profitable black market for alcohol, which fuelled the rise of organised crime.
In the years following the Twenty-first Amendment, several states continued to be "dry states", closely regulating the distribution of alcohol. Many states delegated their authority over alcohol to their counties and municipalities. To this day, there are still dry communities throughout the United States.
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The temperance movement
The early temperance movement focused on advice against hard spirits rather than complete abstinence from all alcohol, and on moral reform rather than legal measures against alcohol. It was characterized by the international scope and organized cooperation of women, with the first international temperance organization believed to be the Order of Good Templars, formed in 1851 in Utica, New York. The movement spread rapidly under the influence of the churches, and by 1833 there were 6,000 local societies in several U.S. states.
The Eighteenth Amendment, which established a nationwide ban on the production, transportation, and sale of alcohol in the U.S., was the result of decades of efforts by the temperance movement. While the amendment did not ban alcohol consumption outright, it was enforced by the Volstead Act, which defined the procedures for banning the distribution, production, and sale of alcoholic beverages. The temperance movement influenced public policy and contributed to the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment, which was ratified in 1919 and went into effect in 1920.
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Frequently asked questions
The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution banned alcohol.
The Eighteenth Amendment was passed on December 18, 1917, and ratified on January 16, 1919.
The Eighteenth Amendment prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol. It did not, however, ban the consumption of alcohol.
