Amendment XXI

Amendment XXI
“The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.
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Section 1 states that the 18th Amendment is repealed; nullified.
Section 2 states that the states could place laws on the transport, import, and sale of liquor if they wanted to.
Section 3 says that the amendment has to be ratified within 7 years.

The Twenty-First Amendment is the one and only amendment to be repealed. I think that admits a big admission of error on behalf of Congress to completely say that the 18th Amendment is null and void. Congress new that the 18th was doing more harm than good, what with all of the new found gang and mob violence that centered in prohibition. With the country in the Great Depression the government knew that they needed to remove as much of the hostility as possible and focus on rebuilding the nation. That started with removing the bootlegging and that had to be done by eliminating prohibition. I’m glad that alcohol is legal because I personally enjoy it, unfortunately I believe that the repeal of the amendment came too late in that by the time it was repealed a lot of the social and economic damage was already done. A lot of people got rich off bootlegging who shouldn’t have-gangsters, and mobsters, and other infamous people. Society and culture was also opened to the negative aspects of bootlegging and violence from the gangs and mobs, introducing new kinds of violence. The change came just a day late and a dollar short.


This is a short advertisement for a celebration of the repeal of Prohibition in Louisville, KY in 2008. I found it interesting that people actually celebrated the repeal of Prohibition. I do know that by the time the 21st amendment was drafted Americans were desperately trying to get rid of Prohibition.

This is a video of an address given by August Busch in 1933 expressing his admiration and joy in light of the ratification of the 21st Amendment. I wanted to include Busch because he is from St. Louis, MO and Budweiser is one of the most notable names in alcohol.