Repeal of Prohibition
Encyclopedia
The Repeal of Prohibition in the United States was accomplished with the passage of the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution
on December 5, 1933.
to the Federal Constitution
, enabling national prohibition
one year later. Many women, notably members of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, were pivotal in bringing about national Prohibition in the United States of America, believing it would protect families, women and children from the effects of abuse of alcohol.
had believed that banning alcoholic beverages would reduce or even eliminate many social problems, particularly drunkenness, crime, mental illness, and poverty. In 1925, journalist H.L. Mencken believed the opposite to be true:
Some supporters of Prohibition, such as Rev. Charles Stelzle in his 1918 book Why Prohibition!, also believed that prohibition would eventually lead to reductions in taxes, since drinking "produced half the business" for institutions supported by tax dollars such as courts, jails, hospitals, almshouses, and insane asylums. In fact alcohol consumption and the incidence of alcohol-related domestic violence were decreasing before the 18th Amendment was adopted. Following the imposition of prohibition, reformers "were dismayed to find that child neglect and violence against children actually increased during the Prohibition era."
During Prohibition, people continued to produce and drink alcohol, and bootlegging
helped foster a massive industry completely under the control of organized crime. Drinking in speakeasies became increasingly fashionable, and many mothers worried about the allure that alcohol and other illegal activities associated with bootlegging would have over their children.
Prohibitionists argued that Prohibition would be more effective if enforcement were increased. However, increased efforts to enforce Prohibition simply resulted in the government spending more money, rather than less. The economic cost of Prohibition became especially pronounced during the Great Depression. According to Association Against the Prohibition Amendment
(AAPA) and Women's Organization for National Prohibition Reform (WONPR) literature, an estimated $861,000,000 was lost in federal tax revenue from untaxed liquor; $40 million dollars was spent annually on Prohibition enforcement. The AAPA also released a pamphlet claiming that $11,000,000,000 was lost in federal liquor-tax revenue and $310,000,000 was spent on Prohibition enforcement from 1920 to 1931. This lack of potential funding during a period of economic strife became a crucial part of the campaign for repeal.
, eventually announced his support for repeal because of the widespread problems he believed Prohibition had caused. Influential leaders, such as the du Pont brothers, led the Association Against the Prohibition Amendment
, whose name clearly asserted its intentions.
The repeal movement also attracted a substantial portion of women, defying the assumption that recently-enfranchised female voters would automatically vote as a bloc on this issue.
They became pivotal in the effort to repeal, as many "had come to the painful conclusion that the destructiveness of alcohol was now embodied in Prohibition itself." By then, women had become even more politically powerful due to ratification of the Constitutional amendment for women's suffrage
. Activist Pauline Sabin
argued that repeal would protect families from the corruption, violent crime, and underground drinking that resulted from Prohibition. On May 28, 1929, Sabin founded the Women's Organization for National Prohibition Reform (WONPR), which attracted many former Prohibitionists to its ranks. Its membership was estimated at 1.5 million by the time repeal was finally passed in 1933. Originally, Sabin was among the many women who supported the 18th Amendment. Now, however, she viewed Prohibition as both hypocritical and dangerous. She recognized "the apparent decline of temperate drinking" and feared the rise of organized crime that developed around bootlegging. Additionally, she worried that America's children, witnessing a blatant disregard for dry laws, would cease to recognize the sanctity of the law itself. Finally, Sabin and the WONPR took a libertarian stance that disapproved of federal involvement in a personal matter like drinking. Over time, however, the WONPR modified its argument, playing up the "moral wrongs that threatened the American home" as a result of the corruption of the Prohibition era. As a women's organization during the early twentieth century, adopting a political stance that centered around maternalism and home protection appealed to the widest audience and was favored over personal liberty arguments, which ultimately received little attention.
The WONPR was initially composed mainly of upper-class women. However, by the time the 21st Amendment was passed, their membership included the middle and working classes. After a short start-up period, donations from members alone were enough to financially sustain the organization. By 1931, more women belonged to the WONPR than the WCTU; by 1932, the WONPR had branches in forty-one states.
The WONPR supported repeal on a platform of "true" temperance, claiming that "a trend toward moderation and restraint in the use of intoxicating beverages [was] reversed by prohibition." Though their causes were in direct opposition, the WONPR mirrored the advocacy techniques of the WCTU. They canvassed door-to-door, encouraged politicians on all levels to incorporate repeal into their party platform, created petitions, gave speeches and radio interviews, dispersed persuasive literature, and held chapter meetings. At times, the WONPR also worked in cooperation with other anti-prohibition groups. In 1932, the AAPA, Voluntary Committee of Lawyers
, The Crusaders
, the American Hotel Organization, and the WONPR formed the United Repeal Council. The United Repeal Council lobbied at both the 1932 Republican and Democratic conventions to integrate repeal into their respective presidential election campaigns. Ultimately, the Republicans continued to defend Prohibition. So the WONPR, which initially began as a nonpartisan organization, joined with the Democratic campaign and supported FDR.
The number of repeal organizations and demand for repeal both increased.
's platform included a plank for the repeal of Prohibition, and Democrat Franklin Roosevelt ran for President of the United States
promising repeal of federal Prohibition laws.
on March 22, 1933, authorized the sale of 3.2% beer (thought to be too low an alcohol concentration to be intoxicating) and wine, with the first legal beer sales since the beginning of Prohibition on January 16, 1920. In 1933, the state conventions
ratified the Twenty-first Amendment
, which repealed the 18th Amendment. The amendment was fully ratified on December 5, 1933. Federal laws enforcing Prohibition were then repealed. Some states, however, continued Prohibition within their jurisdictions. Almost two-thirds of all states adopted some form of local option
which enabled residents in political subdivisions to vote for or against local Prohibition. For a time, 38% of Americans lived in areas with Prohibition. By 1966, however, all states had repealed their state-wide Prohibition laws, with Mississippi the last state to do so.
Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution repealed the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which had mandated nationwide Prohibition...
on December 5, 1933.
Background
In 1919, the requisite number of legislatures of the States ratified the 18th AmendmentEighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Eighteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution established Prohibition in the United States. The separate Volstead Act set down methods of enforcing the Eighteenth Amendment, and defined which "intoxicating liquors" were prohibited, and which were excluded from prohibition...
to the Federal Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
, enabling national prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
one year later. Many women, notably members of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, were pivotal in bringing about national Prohibition in the United States of America, believing it would protect families, women and children from the effects of abuse of alcohol.
Impact of prohibition
The proponents of prohibitionProhibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
had believed that banning alcoholic beverages would reduce or even eliminate many social problems, particularly drunkenness, crime, mental illness, and poverty. In 1925, journalist H.L. Mencken believed the opposite to be true:
Some supporters of Prohibition, such as Rev. Charles Stelzle in his 1918 book Why Prohibition!, also believed that prohibition would eventually lead to reductions in taxes, since drinking "produced half the business" for institutions supported by tax dollars such as courts, jails, hospitals, almshouses, and insane asylums. In fact alcohol consumption and the incidence of alcohol-related domestic violence were decreasing before the 18th Amendment was adopted. Following the imposition of prohibition, reformers "were dismayed to find that child neglect and violence against children actually increased during the Prohibition era."
During Prohibition, people continued to produce and drink alcohol, and bootlegging
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
helped foster a massive industry completely under the control of organized crime. Drinking in speakeasies became increasingly fashionable, and many mothers worried about the allure that alcohol and other illegal activities associated with bootlegging would have over their children.
Prohibitionists argued that Prohibition would be more effective if enforcement were increased. However, increased efforts to enforce Prohibition simply resulted in the government spending more money, rather than less. The economic cost of Prohibition became especially pronounced during the Great Depression. According to Association Against the Prohibition Amendment
Association Against the Prohibition Amendment
The Association Against the Prohibition Amendment was established in 1918 and became a leading organization working for the repeal of prohibition in the United States.- Background :...
(AAPA) and Women's Organization for National Prohibition Reform (WONPR) literature, an estimated $861,000,000 was lost in federal tax revenue from untaxed liquor; $40 million dollars was spent annually on Prohibition enforcement. The AAPA also released a pamphlet claiming that $11,000,000,000 was lost in federal liquor-tax revenue and $310,000,000 was spent on Prohibition enforcement from 1920 to 1931. This lack of potential funding during a period of economic strife became a crucial part of the campaign for repeal.
Organized opposition
During this period, support for Prohibition diminished among voters and politicians. John D. Rockefeller Jr., a lifelong nondrinker who had contributed much money to the Prohibitionist Anti-Saloon LeagueAnti-Saloon League
The Anti-Saloon League was the leading organization lobbying for prohibition in the United States in the early 20th century. It was a key component of the Progressive Era, and was strongest in the South and rural North, drawing heavy support from pietistic Protestant ministers and their...
, eventually announced his support for repeal because of the widespread problems he believed Prohibition had caused. Influential leaders, such as the du Pont brothers, led the Association Against the Prohibition Amendment
Association Against the Prohibition Amendment
The Association Against the Prohibition Amendment was established in 1918 and became a leading organization working for the repeal of prohibition in the United States.- Background :...
, whose name clearly asserted its intentions.
The repeal movement also attracted a substantial portion of women, defying the assumption that recently-enfranchised female voters would automatically vote as a bloc on this issue.
They became pivotal in the effort to repeal, as many "had come to the painful conclusion that the destructiveness of alcohol was now embodied in Prohibition itself." By then, women had become even more politically powerful due to ratification of the Constitutional amendment for women's suffrage
Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits any United States citizen to be denied the right to vote based on sex. It was ratified on August 18, 1920....
. Activist Pauline Sabin
Pauline Sabin
Pauline Sabin was a New Yorker who founded the Women's Organization for National Prohibition Reform in 1929. Time recognized her work promoting the repeal of prohibition by featuring her on its cover on July 18, 1932.-Background:...
argued that repeal would protect families from the corruption, violent crime, and underground drinking that resulted from Prohibition. On May 28, 1929, Sabin founded the Women's Organization for National Prohibition Reform (WONPR), which attracted many former Prohibitionists to its ranks. Its membership was estimated at 1.5 million by the time repeal was finally passed in 1933. Originally, Sabin was among the many women who supported the 18th Amendment. Now, however, she viewed Prohibition as both hypocritical and dangerous. She recognized "the apparent decline of temperate drinking" and feared the rise of organized crime that developed around bootlegging. Additionally, she worried that America's children, witnessing a blatant disregard for dry laws, would cease to recognize the sanctity of the law itself. Finally, Sabin and the WONPR took a libertarian stance that disapproved of federal involvement in a personal matter like drinking. Over time, however, the WONPR modified its argument, playing up the "moral wrongs that threatened the American home" as a result of the corruption of the Prohibition era. As a women's organization during the early twentieth century, adopting a political stance that centered around maternalism and home protection appealed to the widest audience and was favored over personal liberty arguments, which ultimately received little attention.
The WONPR was initially composed mainly of upper-class women. However, by the time the 21st Amendment was passed, their membership included the middle and working classes. After a short start-up period, donations from members alone were enough to financially sustain the organization. By 1931, more women belonged to the WONPR than the WCTU; by 1932, the WONPR had branches in forty-one states.
The WONPR supported repeal on a platform of "true" temperance, claiming that "a trend toward moderation and restraint in the use of intoxicating beverages [was] reversed by prohibition." Though their causes were in direct opposition, the WONPR mirrored the advocacy techniques of the WCTU. They canvassed door-to-door, encouraged politicians on all levels to incorporate repeal into their party platform, created petitions, gave speeches and radio interviews, dispersed persuasive literature, and held chapter meetings. At times, the WONPR also worked in cooperation with other anti-prohibition groups. In 1932, the AAPA, Voluntary Committee of Lawyers
Voluntary Committee of Lawyers
The original Voluntary Committee of Lawyers was founded in 1927 to bring about the repeal of prohibition and the Volstead Act. With its urging, the American Bar Association called for repeal in 1928. Under the leadership of Joseph H. Choate, Jr., lawyers in every state were actively involved in...
, The Crusaders
The Crusaders
The Crusaders are an American music group popular in the early 1970s known for their amalgamated jazz, pop and soul sound. Since 1961, more than forty albums have been credited to the group , 19 of which were recorded under the name "The Jazz Crusaders" .-History:In 1960, following the demise of a...
, the American Hotel Organization, and the WONPR formed the United Repeal Council. The United Repeal Council lobbied at both the 1932 Republican and Democratic conventions to integrate repeal into their respective presidential election campaigns. Ultimately, the Republicans continued to defend Prohibition. So the WONPR, which initially began as a nonpartisan organization, joined with the Democratic campaign and supported FDR.
The number of repeal organizations and demand for repeal both increased.
Organizations supporting repeal
- Association Against the Prohibition AmendmentAssociation Against the Prohibition AmendmentThe Association Against the Prohibition Amendment was established in 1918 and became a leading organization working for the repeal of prohibition in the United States.- Background :...
- Constitutional Liberty League of Massachusetts, a nationwide organization despite its name
- The CrusadersThe Crusaders (repeal of alcohol prohibition)The Crusaders was an organization founded to promote the repeal of prohibition in the United States. Prominent Crusaders included Alfred Sloan, Jr., Sewell Avery, Cleveland Dodge, and Wallage Alexander....
- Labor's National Committee for Modification of the Volstead Act
- Moderation League of New YorkModeration League of New YorkThe Moderation League of New York was founded in 1923 to change the legal definition of the "intoxicating liquors" prohibited by the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution establishing prohibition. This seemed to its members to be an achievable goal, whereas the repeal of...
, a nationwide organization despite its name - Molly Pitcher ClubMolly Pitcher ClubThe Molly Pitcher Club was founded in 1922 as a woman's anti-prohibition organization. They argued that drinking itself was not illegal and so the government should not get involved with a personal and private choice.-History:...
- Republican Citizens Committee Against National ProhibitionRepublican Citizens Committee Against National ProhibitionThe Republican Citizens Committee Against National Prohibition was established shortly before the 1932 Republican National Convention to pressure the party to support the repeal of prohibition. Key members included Joseph H. Choate, Jr., Henry Bourne Joy, Thomas W. Phillips, Raymond Pitcairn, and...
- United Repeal Council
- Voluntary Committee of LawyersVoluntary Committee of LawyersThe original Voluntary Committee of Lawyers was founded in 1927 to bring about the repeal of prohibition and the Volstead Act. With its urging, the American Bar Association called for repeal in 1928. Under the leadership of Joseph H. Choate, Jr., lawyers in every state were actively involved in...
- Women's Committee for Repeal of the 18th Amendment
- Women's Moderation UnionWomen's Moderation UnionThe Women's Moderation Union, headed by M. Louise Gross, helped belie the Women's Christian Temperance Union's insistence that it spoke for American women...
- Women's Organization for National Prohibition Reform
Organization leaders
- Nicholas Murray Butler
- Joseph H. Choate, Jr.Joseph H. Choate, Jr.Joseph H. Choate, Jr. chaired the Voluntary Committee of Lawyers, a group established in 1927 that promoted the repeal of prohibition...
- Fred Clark
- Henry Curran
- Lammot du Pont IILammot du Pont IILammot du Pont II was an American businessman who was the head of the du Pont family's E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company for 22 years....
- Pierre S. du PontPierre S. du PontPierre Samuel du Pont was president of the E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company from 1915 to 1919, and served on its Board of Directors until 1940...
- Henry Bourne JoyHenry Bourne JoyHenry Bourne Joy was President of the Packard Motor Car Company, and a major developer of automotive activities as well as being a social activist....
- Colonel Robert McCormick
- Grayson MurphyGrayson MurphyColonel Grayson M.-P. Murphy was an American private banker and a director of Anaconda Copper Mining Company, Guaranty Trust Company, New York Trust Company, Bethlehem Steel, Goodyear Tire & Rubber, New York Railways, Fifth Avenue Coach Co., and Chicago Motor Coach Co. Mr...
- Thomas W. Phillips
- Raymond Pitcairn
- John J. RaskobJohn J. RaskobJohn Jakob Raskob, KCSG was a financial executive and businessman for DuPont and General Motors, and the builder of the Empire State Building. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1928 to 1932 and a key supporter of Alfred E. Smith's candidacy for President of the United...
- Pauline SabinPauline SabinPauline Sabin was a New Yorker who founded the Women's Organization for National Prohibition Reform in 1929. Time recognized her work promoting the repeal of prohibition by featuring her on its cover on July 18, 1932.-Background:...
- Jouett Shouse
- William H. StaytonWilliam H. StaytonCaptain William H. Stayton founded the Association Against the Prohibition Amendment in 1918 and served as chairman of its board of directors. Captain Stayton and the Association played an important role in bringing about the repeal of prohibition in the U.S. .Stayton authored of Naval Militiaman's...
- James Wadsworth
- Matthew Woll
Repeal as a political party issue
In 1932, the Democratic PartyDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
's platform included a plank for the repeal of Prohibition, and Democrat Franklin Roosevelt ran for President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
promising repeal of federal Prohibition laws.
Repeal
The Cullen-Harrison Act, signed by President Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
on March 22, 1933, authorized the sale of 3.2% beer (thought to be too low an alcohol concentration to be intoxicating) and wine, with the first legal beer sales since the beginning of Prohibition on January 16, 1920. In 1933, the state conventions
Conventions within the states to ratify an amendment to U.S. Constitution
State ratifying conventions are one of the two methods established by Article V of the United States Constitution for ratifying constitutional amendments. Ratifying conventions have only been used for the ratification of the 21st Amendment...
ratified the Twenty-first Amendment
Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution repealed the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which had mandated nationwide Prohibition...
, which repealed the 18th Amendment. The amendment was fully ratified on December 5, 1933. Federal laws enforcing Prohibition were then repealed. Some states, however, continued Prohibition within their jurisdictions. Almost two-thirds of all states adopted some form of local option
Local Option
Local Option is a term used to describe the freedom whereby local political jurisdictions, typically counties or municipalities, can decide by popular vote certain controversial issues within their borders. In practice, it usually relates to the issue of alcoholic beverage sales...
which enabled residents in political subdivisions to vote for or against local Prohibition. For a time, 38% of Americans lived in areas with Prohibition. By 1966, however, all states had repealed their state-wide Prohibition laws, with Mississippi the last state to do so.
Sources
- Cai Cowlyn, Jr., Jack S. Retreat from Reform. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1976
- Kyvig, David E. Repealing National Prohibition. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1979
- Pollard, Joseph P. The Road to Repeal: Submission to Conventions. New York: Brentano's , 1932
- Rose, Kenneth D. American Women and the Repeal of Prohibition. New York University Press, 1997
- Tietsort, Francis J., (ed.) Temperance—or Prohibition. NY: American, 1929
- Willebrandt, Mabel W.Mabel Walker WillebrandtMabel Walker Willebrandt , popularly known to her contemporaries as the "First Lady of Law", was the U.S. Assistant Attorney General from 1921 to 1929, handling cases concerning violations of the Volstead Act, federal taxation, and the Bureau of Federal Prisons during the Prohibition Era.-Early...
The Inside of Prohibition. Indianapolis, IN: Bobbs-Merrill, 1929