Introduction

The 18th Amendment to the Constitution prohibited the "manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors..." and was ratified by the states on January 16, 1919. The movement to prohibit alcohol began in the United States in the early nineteenth century. On October 28, 1919, Congress passed the Volstead Act, which provided for the enforcement of the 18th Amendment. Prohibition ended on December 5, 1933, with the ratification of the 21st Amendment

18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (From the "Statutes at Large," 40 Stat. 1941)
Volstead Act (From the "Statutes at Large," 41 Stat. 305)
The National Prohibition Act, known as the Volstead Act, provided enforcement for the 18th Amendment.
21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (From the "Statutes at Large," 48 Stat. 1749)
Ratified on December 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment repealed the 18th Amendment.

Prohibition officers raiding the lunch room of 922 Pa. Ave., Wash., D.C. April 25, 1923. National Photo Company Collection. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Underwood & Underwood, photographer. Putting a kick in the staid old Schuylkill here go a few barrels of beer -- not 1/2 of 1 percent -- into the Schuylkill River. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

New York City Deputy Police Commissioner John A. Leach, right, watching agents pour liquor into sewer following a raid during the height of prohibition. [1921?]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Primary Documents in American History

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Introduction

Prohibition officers raiding the lunch room of 922 Pa. Ave., Wash., D.C. April 25, 1923. National Photo Company Collection. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Underwood & Underwood, photographer. Putting a kick in the staid old Schuylkill here go a few barrels of beer -- not 1/2 of 1 percent -- into the Schuylkill River. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

New York City Deputy Police Commissioner John A. Leach, right, watching agents pour liquor into sewer following a raid during the height of prohibition. [1921?]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.