Prohibition Ends: The Ban on Alcohol Concludes
The Twenty-first Amendment was ratified on December 5, 1933, repealing the Eighteenth Amendment and ending 13 years of national Prohibition. Utah, of all states, provided the decisive 36th ratification vote. The repeal was the only time a constitutional amendment has been entirely reversed by another. Prohibition had been a spectacular failure: alcohol consumption initially dropped but then recovered to near pre-ban levels through speakeasies, home brewing, and bootlegging. Organized crime built empires on illegal liquor distribution. Al Capone earned an estimated $60 million annually from bootlegging alone. The federal government lost $11 billion in tax revenue while spending $300 million on enforcement. FDR had campaigned on repeal, and the new amendment was ratified in less than ten months. The first legal drinks were served at midnight on December 5.
December 5, 1933
93 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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