Prohibition Ends: December 5, 1933 8

Posted on December 5, 2017 by Trevor Hammond

On December 5, 1933, Prohibition came to an end with the repeal of the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which
had outlawed the manufacture, sale, and transport of alcohol since 1920.

The passage of the 18th Amendment had been the result of decades
of work by religious and progressive groups to permanently eliminate
the consumption of alcohol in the United States. Groups such as
the Womans Christian Temperance Unionand the Anti-Saloon
League believed that getting rid of alcohol would remove many of
societys ills. Brewery-owned saloons, in particular, were seen by
temperance and prohibition groups as the root of many evils, and
these establishments were targeted by activists such as Carrie
Nation, who became famous for smashing up saloons.

Finally, by late 1917, there was enough support in Congress to

pass the 18th Amendment, which was ratified by the states in early
1919. Prohibition was set to go into effect in 1920, and in
preparation, the National Prohibition Act (more commonly known as
the Volstead Act) was passed in late 1919. Under the Volstead Act, it
was illegal to manufacture, sell, or transport any beverage with an
alcohol content of more than 0.5%. Exceptions were made for
medical or religious needs, and it was still legal to drink in your own
home and to make wine for personal use.

Though Prohibition did see an overall decline in alcohol consumption in the country, it had many unintended
consequences. It was illegal to sell alcohol, but it wasnt illegal to buy or drink it, which led to the rise of a black market
alcohol industry of bootleggers and smugglers. This strengthened organized crime syndicates, who made significant
amounts of money off illegal alcohol. Gang violence increased, perhaps most notoriously in Chicago, and criminals such
as Al Capone became household names. With so much money to be made from black market alcohol, bribery of
Prohibition agents, police, judges, and politicians was rampant.

These and other issuessuch as the onset of the Great Depressionas well as the rise of powerful anti-Prohibition
groups (such as the Womens Organization for National Prohibition Reform), finally turned the tide against Prohibition.
The 1932 Democratic Party platform was anti-Prohibition, and when Democratic candidate Franklin D. Rooseveltwon the
presidential election, anti-Prohibition forces passed the 21st Amendment in Congress. The amendment, which repealed
Prohibition, was quickly ratified by the states, with Utah casting the deciding vote in favor of repeal on December 5, 1933.