
Why was the 21st Amendment so important?
The amendment relates to the idea of checks and balances and how they help to reduce abuse of power. Checks and balances, states the National Constitution Center, prevent any branch of the government from becoming too powerful. According to Laws.com, George Washington, on his own accord, decided against running for a third term.
When was the 22nd Amendment proposed and ratified?
Once submitted to the states, the 22nd Amendment was ratified by:
- Maine: March 31, 1947
- Michigan: March 31, 1947
- Iowa: April 1, 1947
- Kansas: April 1, 1947
- New Hampshire: April 1, 1947
- Delaware: April 2, 1947
- Illinois: April 3, 1947
- Oregon: April 3, 1947
- Colorado: April 12, 1947
- California: April 15, 1947
What is the meaning of the 21st Amendment?
The 21st amendment is what removes the 18th amendment. Any portion of the US Constitution that is to be changed or removed REQUIRES an amendment to become effective. Because the Constitution is considered the Supreme Law of the Nation, it is also necessary that it be the most difficult to change with all changes be approved by both houses of Congress and at least 2/3 (currently 33) of the states.
What is the summary of the 21st Amendment?
The 21st Amendment also has the distinction of being the only amendment ratified by state ratifying convention, rather than by state legislatures. The 21st Amendment allows states to regulate or ban the sale or delivery of alcohol. To explore this concept, consider the 21st Amendment definition.

Why was the 21th Amendment passed?
20, 1933, Congress proposed the Twenty-first Amendment, aimed at rescinding prohibition, and in April Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Cullen-Harrison Act, which amended the prohibition-based Volstead Act to permit the manufacturing and sale of low-alcohol beer and wines.
How long did it take to pass the 21st Amendment?
Ratification of the 21st Amendment had to be completed by the required number of states in seven years for the end of national prohibition to be enacted as part of the constitution. The amendment was proposed in Congress on February 20, 1933, with President Franklin D Roosevelt in office.
What amendments have been removed?
The Eighteenth Amendment was repealed by the Twenty-first Amendment on December 5, 1933. It is the only amendment to be repealed. The Eighteenth Amendment was the product of decades of efforts by the temperance movement, which held that a ban on the sale of alcohol would ameliorate poverty and other societal problems.
Who opposed the 21st Amendment?
Urban Ohioans proved to be much more opposed to the amendment. Undoubtedly, this was because a majority of bars, distilleries, and breweries were located in urban areas. Illustrating this division within the state, when Ohio voters voted to ratify the Eighteenth Amendment, the issue carried by only 25,759 votes.
What events led to the adoption of the 21st Amendment?
The Twenty-First Amendment, which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, was ratified on December 5, 1933. The decision to repeal a constitutional amendment was unprecedented and came as a response to the crime and general ineffectiveness associated with prohibition.
How long did it take to repeal prohibition?
Congress passed the act nine days later, Roosevelt signed it on March 22, 1933, and it went into effect on April 7. States that wanted to remain with Prohibition were allowed to. The country celebrated by drinking beer and wine that, while low in alcohol, was finally legal after 13 years.
What was the 21th Amendment in simple terms?
The 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, repealing the 18th Amendment and bringing an end to the era of national prohibition of alcohol in America. At 5:32 p.m. EST, Utah became the 36th state to ratify the amendment, achieving the requisite three-fourths majority of states' approval.
How long did prohibition last for?
Nationwide Prohibition lasted from 1920 until 1933. The Eighteenth Amendment—which illegalized the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcohol—was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1917. In 1919 the amendment was ratified by the three-quarters of the nation's states required to make it constitutional.
When was the Twenty First Amendment passed?
The Congress adopted the Blaine Act and proposed the Twenty-first Amendment on February 20, 1933 . The proposed amendment was adopted on December 5, 1933. It is the only amendment to have been ratified by state ratifying conventions, specially selected for the purpose.
When did the Twenty-First Amendment become effective?
The Twenty-first Amendment ending national prohibition also became effective on December 5, 1933.
What is the significance of Craig v. Boren?
Boren (1976), the Supreme Court found that analysis under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment had not been affected by the passage of the Twenty-first Amendment. Although the Court did not specify whether the Twenty-first Amendment could provide an exception to any other constitutional protections outside of the Commerce Clause, it acknowledged "the relevance of the Twenty-first Amendment to other constitutional provisions becomes increasingly doubtful". Likewise, it has been held that Section 2 of the Twenty-first Amendment does not affect the Supremacy Clause or the Establishment Clause. Larkin v. Grendel's Den, Inc., 459 U.S. 116, 122, n. 5 (1982). However, the Craig v. Boren Court did distinguish two characteristics of state laws permitted by the Amendment, which otherwise might have run afoul of the Constitution. The constitutional issues in each centered or touched upon: (1) " importation of intoxicants, a regulatory area where the State's authority under the Twenty-first Amendment is transparently clear"; and (2) " purely economic matters that traditionally merit only the mildest review under the Fourteenth Amendment ". As to the Dormant Commerce Clause in particular, the Court clarified that, while not a pro tanto repeal, the Twenty-First Amendment nonetheless "primarily created an exception to the normal operation of the Commerce Clause ".
What are the constitutional issues in each centered or touched upon?
The constitutional issues in each centered or touched upon: (1) " importation of intoxicants, a regulatory area where the State's authority under the Twenty-first Amendment is transparently clear"; and (2) " purely economic matters that traditionally merit only the mildest review under the Fourteenth Amendment ".
What amendment repealed the 18th amendment?
The Twenty-first Amendment ( Amendment XXI) to the United States Constitution repealed the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which had mandated nationwide prohibition on alcohol. The Twenty-first Amendment was proposed by the 72nd Congress on February 20, 1933, and was ratified by the requisite number of states on December 5, 1933. It is unique among the 27 amendments of the U.S. Constitution for being the only one to repeal a prior amendment, as well as being the only amendment to have been ratified by state ratifying conventions .
What was the prohibition period?
The Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution had ushered in a period known as Prohibition, during which the manufacture, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages was illegal.
Which amendment was the first to abrogate the right to import intoxicating liquors?
First, the Court held that Section 2 abrogated the right to import intoxicating liquors free of a direct burden on interstate commerce, which otherwise would have been unconstitutional under the Commerce Clause before passage of the Twenty-first Amendment.
Which amendment was ratified?
21st amendment is ratified; Prohibition ends. The 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, repealing the 18th Amendment and bringing an end to the era of national prohibition of alcohol in America. At 5:32 p.m. EST, Utah became the 36th state to ratify the amendment, achieving the requisite three-fourths majority of states’ approval.
When was the 18th amendment passed?
In December 1917, the 18th Amendment, prohibiting the “manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes,” was passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification. On January 16, 1919, the 18th Amendment was ratified by the states.
When did the prohibition of alcohol begin?
Pennsylvania and Ohio had ratified it earlier in the day. The movement for the prohibition of alcohol began in the early 19th century, when Americans concerned about the adverse effects of drinking began forming temperance societies. By the late 19th century , these groups had become a powerful political force, campaigning on ...
Which amendment ended prohibition?
In 1933, the 21st Amendment to the Constitution was passed and ratified, ending national Prohibition. After the repeal of the 18th Amendment, some states continued Prohibition by maintaining statewide temperance laws. Mississippi, the last dry state in the Union, ended Prohibition in 1966.
What was the Volstead Act?
The Volstead Act provided for the enforcement of Prohibition, including the creation of a special Prohibition unit of the Treasury Department. In its first six months, the unit destroyed thousands of illicit stills run by bootleggers.
When did the 21st amendment become effective?from legaldictionary.net
The proposed amendment was sent to state ratifying conventions for approval. The 21st Amendment became effective on December 13, 1933 .
What is the 21st amendment?from legaldictionary.net
The 21st Amendment also has the distinction of being the only amendment ratified by state ratifying convention, rather than by state legislatures. The 21st Amendment allows states to regulate or ban the sale or delivery of alcohol. To explore this concept, consider the 21st Amendment definition.
How to amend Article V?from legaldictionary.net
The first step is to propose an amendment, which may be done in two ways: (1) Congress may propose an amendment if two-thirds of the members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate vote in favor of it, or (2) the states may propose an amendment if two-thirds of their legislatures call for a constitutional convention for the purpose of proposing an amendment. Once proposed, the amendment must be ratified before it can become part of the Constitution.
What are the constitutional issues in each centered or touched upon?from en.wikipedia.org
The constitutional issues in each centered or touched upon: (1) " importation of intoxicants, a regulatory area where the State's authority under the Twenty-first Amendment is transparently clear"; and (2) " purely economic matters that traditionally merit only the mildest review under the Fourteenth Amendment ".
What is prohibited in section 2?from law.cornell.edu
Section 2. The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited. Section 3.
When two thirds of both houses deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution?from legaldictionary.net
“The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress …”
Why was the 21st Amendment unconstitutional?from legaldictionary.net
The Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision that the states’ laws on this matter were indeed unconstitutional lay in the fact that the purpose of the 21st Amendment was to return the nation to the status quo that had existed prior to Prohibition.
Which amendment included the prohibition of alcohol?
The 18th Amendment – which included the prohibition of alcoholic beverages – was a direct response to ethics committees existing within the United States that credited alcohol with lascivious and criminal behavior.
Which amendment made it illegal to sell alcohol?
The 21st Amendment was a direct response to the preexisting 18th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, which mandated the sale, possession, consumption, and transport of alcoholic beverages as illegal
What is section 2 of the Constitution?
Section 2. The transportation or importation into every State, Territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited. Section 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions ...
Which amendment overturned the law deeming alcoholic beverages illegal?
In addition to this amendment overturning statutes deeming alcoholic beverages to be illegal, the 21st Amendment allowed individual states to regulate all applicable legislature with regard to the commercial availability of alcoholic beverages. The 21st Amendment instituted the legal instrument currently known as liquor licenses.
How long does it take for Section 3 of the Constitution to become inoperative?
This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.”.
Which amendment created the legal instrument known as liquor licenses?
The 21st Amendment instituted the legal instrument currently known as liquor licenses
What was the purpose of Craig v. Boren?
Boren (1976) – this court case addressed proposed legislation differentiating the legal age of alcohol consumption imposed with regard to males and females within the state of Oklahoma; the motion was overturned as a result of a presumed violation of the 14th Amendment
What is the 21st Amendment?
The first section of the amendment reads "The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed."
Why is the 21st amendment unique?
THE 21st Amendment is unique because its main purpose is to repeal a previous amendment completely. To understand the 18st Amendment, you must first understand the 19th Amendment. 1. To understand the 18st Amendment, you must first understand the 19th Amendment.
How long does it take for the 3rd amendment to go into effect?
The third section states that the amendment would not go into effect unless ratified with seven years, which it was.
When did the amendments take effect?
There was also a time limit set on when the amendment would operate. The amendment's ratification was certified on January 16, 1919 and the rules of the amendment took effect exactly one year later.
Is the second section of the 'Second' section open ended?
The second section is more open ended reading "The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or Possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited."
When was the 21st Amendment pass?
After passing in Congress, it was set to be ratified in February of 1933 . The 21st Amendment was to take out another amendment in the constitution, and it passed quickly.
Which amendment ended prohibition?
The Termination of Prohibition. After the 18th Amendment was ratified in the constitution and instituted prohibition, the Twenty-First Amendment was later ratified and ended Prohibition. The support of Prohibition came mainly from the Temperance Movement that backed it up.
What amendment is repealed?
Section one of the Twenty-First Amendment of the United States Constitution states that the Constitution‘s 18th Amendment is repealed. This means that once the Twenty-First Amendment passed, the Eighteenth Amendment would be permanently removed from the Constitution.
Which amendment prohibits the importation of alcohol?
Section Two of the 21st Amendment prohibits the importation and possession of intoxicating liquors within the United States by violating the law. This section of the Amendment permits states to prohibit the transportation, importation, sale, or possession of alcoholic beverages.
How long does it take for the Constitution to be ratified?
Section Three of the Twenty-First Amendment states that the article has to be ratified as an amendment to the United States Constitution to be operative within seven years from the date Congress submits it to each state.
What was the worst thing that arose from prohibition?
The worse thing that arose from Prohibition was, the people who were against it showed their evilness. Many terrible acts came into play, including the growing black market for alcohol and how law enforcement lost its willingness to fight against these illegal acts. Also, organized crime syndicates were on the rise during Prohibition. They used to bribe police so that they could carry on their business with illegal alcohol. Police took the bribes, and this made it even more apparent that Prohibition was failing.
When did prohibition end?
In simple terms, on December 5, 1933, the nationwide Prohibition that had lasted for fourteen years came to an end. This happened after the state of Utah and thirty-six other states ratified the Twenty-First Amendment of the Constitution.
Why was the 21st amendment passed?
It is clear that the 21st Amendment was a result of the failed prohibition of alcohol in the United States. Though consumption generally declined, organized crime and crime rates soared to levels never experienced by Americans before.
Which amendment would be the only one to be ratified using this method?
The 21sth Amendment would be the only Amendment to the United States Constitution to be ratified using this method. The overturning of Prohibition would, therefore, delegate responsibility for regulating alcohol laws to the states. Even though the 21st Amendment was approved, several states continued to follow the doctrine of Prohibition.
Which amendment is ratified by a loose ratification process?
State conventions abide by a loose ratification process, which is similar to that of the “one-state, one-vote” national referendum. The 21sth Amendment would be the only Amendment to the United States Constitution to be ratified using this method.
Which amendment would repeal the 18th amendment?
The 21st Amendment is the only one introduced that would completely repeal another Amendment, the18th Amendment. The Eighteenth Amendment implemented a national ban on alcoholic or “intoxicating” substances, which was commonly referred to as Prohibition. The 21st Amendment would call for the prohibition repeal, which would no longer prohibit the sale, manufacture, or transportation of alcoholic beverages. The 21st Amendment was ratified on December 5th, 1933, and was the only Amendment to be ratified by state ratifying conventions rather by state legislature, which would mark the prohibition repeal.
What was the reaction to the 18th amendment?
Bootleggers, speakeasies and the rise of organized crime all were birthed as a reaction to the 18th Amendment. Criminals, such as notorious Chicago gangster Al Capone, would become millionaires and general lawlessness would proliferate in the United States. Many would simply ignore the provisions set forth by Prohibition.
Which amendment allows states to regulate alcoholic beverages?
The interpretation of the provisions in the second section of the 21st Amendment allowed for the states to maintain the right to control alcoholic beverages.
What amendment was repealed in 1933?
In February 1933, Congress adopted a resolution proposing the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, which repealed both the 18th Amendment and the Volstead Act. The resolution required state conventions, rather than the state legislatures, to approve the amendment, effectively reducing the process to a one-state, one-vote referendum rather than a popular vote contest. That December, Utah became the 36th state to ratify the amendment, achieving the necessary majority for repeal. A few states continued statewide prohibition after 1933, but by 1966 all of them had abandoned it. Since then, liquor control in the United States has largely been determined at the local level.
When did the 18th amendment go into effect?
After the congressional elections that year, “dry” members (as those who favored a national prohibition of alcohol became known) won a two-thirds majority over “wet” in the U.S. Congress. On January 16 , 1919 , the requisite number of states ratified the 18th Amendment, which prohibited the manufacturing, transportation and sale of alcohol within the United States; it would go into effect the following January.
What was the first prohibition in the United States?
A wave of intense religious revivalism that swept the U.S. during the 1820s and 30s led to the formation of a number of prohibition movements driven by religious groups who considered alcohol, specifically drunkenness, a “national curse.” (This revivalism also helped inspire the movement to end slavery.) The first temperance legislation appeared in 1838, in the form of a Massachusetts law prohibiting the sale of spirits in less than 15-gallon quantities. Though it was repealed two years later, Maine passed the first state prohibition law in 1846, and by the time the Civil War began, a number of other states had followed suit.
What amendment prohibited the manufacture, transportation and sale of alcohol in the United States?
On January 16, 1919, the requisite number of states ratified the 18th Amendment , which prohibited the manufacturing, transportation and sale of alcohol within the United States; it would go into effect the following January. Recommended for you. 1917. The 1917 Bath Riots.
Why was the Volstead Act passed?
Volstead of Minnesota–was enacted in order to provide the government with the means of enforcing Prohibition.
What was the impact of prohibition on the Great Depression?
If public sentiment had turned against Prohibition by the late 1920s, the advent of the Great Depression only hastened its demise, as some argued that the ban on alcohol denied jobs to the unemployed and much-needed revenue to the government. The efforts of the nonpartisan group Americans Against Prohibition Association (AAPA) added to public disillusionment. In 1932, the platform of Democratic presidential candidate Franklin D. Roosevelt included a plank for repealing the 18th Amendment, and his victory that November marked a certain end to Prohibition.
What were the consequences of prohibition?
Perhaps the most dramatic consequence of Prohibition was the effect it had on organized crime in the United States: as the production and sale of alcohol went further underground, it began to be controlled by the Mafia and other gangs, who transformed themselves into sophisticated criminal enterprises that reaped huge profits from the illicit liquor trade.

Overview
The Twenty-first Amendment (Amendment XXI) to the United States Constitution repealed the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which had mandated nationwide prohibition on alcohol. The Twenty-first Amendment was proposed by the 72nd Congress on February 20, 1933, and was ratified by the requisite number of states on December 5, 1933. It is unique among the 2…
Text
Section 1. The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed. Section 2. The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited. Section 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several States, as provided in the Const…
Background
The Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution had ushered in a period known as Prohibition, during which the manufacture, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages was illegal. The enactment of the Eighteenth Amendment in 1919 was the crowning achievement of the temperance movement, but it soon proved highly unpopular. Crime rates soared under Prohibition as gangsters, such as Chicago's Al Capone, became rich from a profitable, often violent, black ma…
Proposal and ratification
The Congress adopted the Blaine Act and proposed the Twenty-first Amendment on February 20, 1933.
The proposed amendment was adopted on December 5, 1933. It is the only amendment to have been ratified by state ratifying conventions, specifically selected for the purpose. All other amendments have been ratified by state legislatures. It is also the only amendment that was app…
Implementation
The second section bans the importation of alcohol in violation of state or territorial law. This has been interpreted to give states essentially absolute control over alcoholic beverages, and many U.S. states still remained "dry" (with state prohibition of alcohol) long after its ratification. Mississippi was the last, remaining entirely dry until August 1966, when 19 of its counties voted to legalize alcohol. Kansas continued to prohibit public bars until 1987. Many states now delegate …
See also
• Alcoholic beverage control state
• List of alcohol laws of the United States by state
• List of dry communities by U.S. state
External links
• CRS Annotated Constitution: Twenty first Amendment