Volstead Act 1918

Robert B. Jenkot

The Volstead Act made the manufacture, transportation, and sale of intoxicating liquors illegal in the United States. It was ratified by Congress during Prohibition on January 16, 1919, and became the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This is the only amendment to the Constitution that has ever been repealed. It was repealed on December 5, 1933, with the ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment to the Constitution. The Volstead Act was the result of a long battle over temperance, much of which was fought by religious groups. The American Temperance Society, formed in 1826, began the attempt to eliminate alcohol in the United States. Many of the early temperance groups were coalitions of various church groups. They lobbied for ordinances making the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcohol illegal. Areas that passed such laws were termed “dry” communities, cities, and counties. Many such jurisdictions still exist to this day. The ...

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