21st Amendment (1933)
The Twenty-first Amendment repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, ending Prohibition in the United States. It returned authority to regulate alcohol to the states, allowing them to control distribution, sale, and consumption according to local laws.
Text of the Amendment
“Section 1. The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.
Section 2. The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.
Section 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several States.â€
Purpose and Historical Context
Prohibition, established by the 18th Amendment, led to widespread illegal production and distribution of alcohol, increased organized crime, and challenged law enforcement. The 21st Amendment repealed Prohibition, acknowledging these social and economic consequences and restoring control to states.
Impact and Modern Significance
The 21st Amendment remains unique as the only amendment to fully repeal another. It demonstrates federalism in action, allowing states to regulate alcohol differently and shaping modern debates on state versus federal authority.
Further Study
Students should explore the social effects of Prohibition, the rise of organized crime during the 1920s, and the state-level approaches to alcohol regulation after 1933. Key sources include state legislation, historical newspapers, and scholarly analyses of the Prohibition era.