18th Amendment

The 18th Constitution forbids the manufacture, sale, and shipping of alcohol. However it did not make possession or consumption illegal. It was ratified on January 16, 1919, however was quickly repealed by the 21st Amendment in 1933. This time era was called the Prohibition. The 18th Amendment is the only one in all of America’s history that has been repealed.

Consumption of alcohol was dejected by law in many of the states over the beginning years of the United States under the Constitution. By 1855, 13 of the 31 states had temperance laws, prohibiting the sale and consumption of alcohol. The Civil War distracted the public from the temperance movement, but the rapid growth of saloons after the Civil War began to make a bigger issue. Other problems arouse with the saloons, such as gambling, prostitution, and public drunkenness (18th Amendment. They believed there was a correlation between alcohol and many antisocial behaviors which were frowned down upon like child abuse and domestic violence.

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Congress House

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Another important concern was that alcohol had a negative impact on labor productivity (HowStuffWorks "The 18th Amendment).

This led to the so-called "Women's War" in 1873: A crusade of woman who were taking direct action against the saloon and the liquor traffic. The woman aimed to convince the owners of the saloons to destroy their beverages, close their doors, and begin another type of business (Woman's Crusade of 1873-74).

Over time, other groups pro-Prohibition formed, such as the Anti-Saloon League, which was established in 1893. This group’s goal was national prohibition, and it set up an office in Washington and even established its own publishing house in Westerville, Ohio; Mobilization provided this group with what it was necessary in order to persuade Americans to support constitutional prohibition.

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