[Note this has been rewritten for 2026]

On January 16, 1919, the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, banning (except for industrial and religious uses) the sale, manufacture, and importation of alcohol. It was repealed by the 21st Amendment in 1933.

In the 19th century, temperance movements arose to address alcoholism, public drunkenness, and related social problems like gambling and prostitution. This religious-based movement gained support in many states with laws curtailing alcohol sales. It soon became national, calling on Congress to impose a nationwide ban. In 1917, Congress passed the 18th Amendment and sent it to the states for ratification. All but two states (Connecticut and Rhode Island) ratified it, though a few did so after the required number had been met.

A separate act, the Volstead Act, gave the Department of the Treasury enforcement power. It was vetoed by President Wilson, but Congress overrode the veto. The Supreme Court ruled in Dillon v. Gloss (1921) that Congress could set a ratification deadline. Controversy arose over the phrase “intoxicating liquor,” as many thought it applied only to hard liquor, not beer or wine. However, it was enforced as a total ban, leading to lax enforcement in many states due to its unpopularity. On January 17, 1920, the United States became a dry country.

Small-time bootlegging and smuggling from Canada, Mexico, or Cuba quickly emerged. Criminal syndicates and gangs in large cities launched their own operations, becoming wealthy and dangerous. They amassed enough money to bribe police, judges, and politicians. Ruthless gangs in Chicago and elsewhere fought lethally, killing rivals and sometimes innocent bystanders.

By the end of the 1920s, Prohibition was widely seen as a failure, having replaced alcohol’s social dangers with worse problems. A countermovement for repeal grew and was adopted by the Democratic Party in 1932, backed by presidential candidate Franklin Roosevelt. Congress proposed repeal in February 1933, requiring ratification by state conventions rather than legislatures. Ratification was swift, completed by December 5, 1933.

The repeal allowed states to ban alcohol if desired. A few did so initially, but none do now. Instead, most states let counties and cities decide on alcohol sales restrictions. The speakeasy era ended. Al Capone was imprisoned for tax evasion, and the Mafia, having earned enormous sums during Prohibition, turned to a then-small city in Nevada for its next major source of wealth.

Sources

“Eighteenth Amendment.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Last modified December 24, 2025. Accessed January 24, 2026. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Eighteenth-Amendment.

———. “Prohibition Is Ratified by the States | January 16, 1919 | HISTORY.” HISTORY. Last modified May 28, 2025. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/January-16/prohibition-ratified.

“U.S. Constitution-Eighteenth Amendment,” Constitution Annotated, accessed January 24, 2026, https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-18/.