The 21st Amendment
On December 6th, 1932, Senator John Blaine of Wisconsin submitted a resolution to Congress proposing the Twenty-First Amendment, which would over write the Eighteenth Amendment's Prohibition. Two months later, on February 21th, 1933, the amendment was sent to the state governors; While President Roosevelt asked Congress to modify the Volstead Act to allow the sale of 3.2% beer. Within nine days, Congress legalized the beer, very much to the delight of the American public.
The 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibited the transport, import, export, manufacture, or sale of alcoholic beverages. Upon ratification of the amendment by the states, Congress voted its approval in October of 1919, and named the law as the National Prohibition
Act of 1920.
The 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibited the transport, import, export, manufacture, or sale of alcoholic beverages. Upon ratification of the amendment by the states, Congress voted its approval in October of 1919, and named the law as the National Prohibition
Act of 1920.
The amendment worked at first, liquor consumption dropped, arrests for
drunkenness fell, and the price for illegal alcohol rose higher than the average
worker could afford. Alcohol consumption dropped by 30 percent and the United
States Brewers' Association admitted that the consumption of hard liquor was off
50 percent during Prohibition." -Andrew Voldstad
Reason to the 18th Amendment
The reason that the 18th amendment came into play was because of the groups dedicated to encouraging temperance had a number of reasons for having it. They believed there to be a direct link between alcohol and many antisocial behaviors, like child abuse and domestic violence. People were started to realize that alcohol damaged our health and could affect our lives. Many American men suffered from Sclerosis, which is caused by alcohol and lung cancer from smoking cigarettes. Those people suffered badly and eventually died. As a result, many children lived their lives without their fathers around, which led to families’ financial problems without the father being there to provide income. Also husbands were spending their family’s saving on alcohol instead of essential items like an education. That problem led to family arguments, which eventually led to divorce.
Connection to Craig v. Boren
Although they could not make another Prohibition, Oklahoma could try to push the drinking age back. But just like when the 18th Amendment came into play, they looked at what one thing they had in common when alcohol came into play; drunkenness involved with driving accidents and injuries; which in 1976 was more common with men than women. Because of being so successful during Prohibition with getting rid of that problem and decreasing accidents by 30%, it was decided to push the age back to twenty-one for men while women could still purchase at the age of 18. During Prohibition, they would not allow intoxicating drinks while in 1976 a 3.2% alcohol was thought to be intoxicating. Though the rate of accidents and injuries did decrease slightly, it still violated the 14th Amendment, which Prohibition did not.