Facts about the 18th Amendment:
- Made it illegal to sell, manufacture, import, export or transport alcohol in the US for use as a beverage.
- Was the only amendment not about giving us freedom.
- Set a delay time of one year before it would take effect after it was ratified.
- Was the first to set an amount of time in which it must be ratified by the states.
- Was ratified in 13 months.
- Was the only amendment ever to be repealed (by the 21st Amendment)
- Was in effect from January 17, 1920 to December 5, 1933
The Volstead Act
The Volstead Acts official name was the National Prohibition Act. It was written to enforce the 18th Amendment.
To see an excerpt of the Volstead Act
- It defined the words "intoxicating liquor" used in the 18th Amendment to be any beverage containing more than 0.5 percent alcohol by volume to be covered by the Amendment.
- It defined for what purposes alcohol could be used
- Specified the criminal penalties for breaking the law.
- It defined trade, delivery, sale, processing, transport, bartering, and possessing alcohol would constitute an illegal act .
- It ensured a supply of alcohol would be available for use as medicine, in scientific research, for religious rituals, in the development of dye, fuel and other lawful industries.
- It stated that all other state prohibition laws were superseded by this Act.
- Was written by Wayne Wheeler and supported by Andrew Volstead the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee
To see an excerpt of the Volstead Act