Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Thursday, January 26
    Trending
    • Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through January 26th, 2023)
    • This Day in History on January 26th
    • History Short: Who is the Octomom?
    • This Day in History on January 25th
    • History Short: The Rise and Fall of Sir Walter Raleigh
    • Headline: The Doomsday Clock Has Moved Closer to Midnight Than Ever Before!
    • Headlines: 2023 Oscar Nominations Released!
    • This Day in History on January 24th
    History and Headlines
    • Arts & Entertainment
      • Cinema & TV
      • Games
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Video Games
    • Bizarre Bulletin
      • Misconceptions
      • The Bizarre
      • The Paranormal
      • The Unexplained
    • Lifestyle
      • Animals/Pets
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Health/Medicine
      • Home Improvement
      • Horoscopes
      • Travel
    • Science & Tech
      • Inventions
      • Nature
      • Vehicles
    • Society
      • Business and Economics
      • Crime
      • Military
      • Politics
      • Religion
      • Society
    • About
      • Welcome to Our Site!
      • This Day in History
      • Table of Contents: A History of the World
      • Online History Textbooks
      • A Guide to Some of Our Favorite Scholars and Educators
      • Advance Screenings and Movie Reviews Archive
      • Schedule of Video Adaptations of Our Articles
    • Friends
      • Armchair History TV
      • Fact Fiend
      • RealClearHistory
      • Simply Charly
      • TopTenz
      • ​Unique Interpretations
    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»Society»Crime»The Volstead Act Makes America a Dry Country
    Crime

    The Volstead Act Makes America a Dry Country

    Dr. ZarBy Dr. ZarOctober 28, 2013Updated:October 28, 2019154 Comments4 Mins Read
    Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Tumblr Twitter VKontakte WhatsApp

    A Brief History

    On October 28, 1919, The U.S. Congress passed the Volstead Act over President Woodrow Wilson’s veto, paving the way for Prohibition to begin the following January and setting the stage for the eventual production of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire.

    Digging Deeper

    Without the almost difficult to fathom actions of Congress nearly a hundred years ago today, we would not be enjoying the tales of gangsters and corrupt politicians gracing our televisions on Sunday nights thanks to HBO.  Yet, for as hard as it is for us in an age in which we are inundated constantly by beer and other alcoholic beverage commercials, for a time the United States attempted to prohibit intoxicating beverages.

    The long march to Prohibition began as far back as 1826 with the founding of the American Temperance Society.  Women played a major role in nineteenth-century temperance societies and indeed a veritable alliance developed between women’s suffrage organizations and temperance societies.  The reason for women in particular to speak out against excessive drinking of intoxicating beverages stems from a combination of physical abuse suffered at the hands of drunk husbands as well as drunk husbands engaging in adulterous relationships or risking their employment by missing work, showing up late, or even working while intoxicated.

    This 1902 illustration from the Hawaiian Gazette newspaper humorously illustrates the Anti-Saloon League and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union’s campaign against the producers and sellers of beers in Hawaii.

    Wayne Bidwell Wheeler (November 10, 1869 – September 5, 1927) of the Anti-Saloon League conceived of and drafted the bill later known as the Volstead Act.  Congressman Andrew John Volstead (October 31, 1860 – January 20, 1947) chaired the House Judiciary Committee and managed the legislation in Congress.   Technically called The National Prohibition Act, the act was intended to carry out the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which was ratified in January 1919 and took effect about a year later.  The Amendment read: “After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.  The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.  This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.”

    With these rather vague terms that did not define what exactly constitutes intoxicating liquors, America became a dry country, much to the bafflement of the rest of the world.  Making matters worse, Prohibition resulted in organized crime bosses operating speakeasies and distribution networks throughout the United States.  Americans clearly were not willing to give up centuries-old customs of drinking alcohol.  Those who supported the bill may have had good intentions, but instead their efforts wound up resulting in the growth of some of America’s most powerful organized crime families.

    In 1933, Prohibition ended when the Twenty-first Amendment repealed the Eighteenth, but the enduring cultural legacy of the Roaring Twenties, of gangsters and speakeasies remains with us to this day!

    Question for students (and subscribers): Do you want Prohibition to come back?  Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    To learn more about this time period, you may want to follow the series on HBO and read-up on the historical background as covered in a nice companion book:

    Johnson, Nelson.  Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City.  Plexus Publishing, 2010.

    Share. Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Twitter Tumblr
    Previous ArticleThe Day God was Involved in a War
    Next Article A Modern Greek Epic: The Beginning of the End for Hitler and the Axis Powers
    Dr. Zar
    • Website

    Dr. Zar graduated with a B.A. in French and history, a Master’s in History, and a Ph.D. in History. He currently teaches history in Ohio.

    Related Posts

    History Short: The Rise and Fall of Sir Walter Raleigh

    January 25, 2023

    Headline: The Doomsday Clock Has Moved Closer to Midnight Than Ever Before!

    January 24, 2023

    History Short: Who was the First National Leader Assassinated by Firearm?

    January 23, 2023
    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through January 26th, 2023)

    January 26, 2023

    This Day in History on January 26th

    January 26, 2023

    History Short: Who is the Octomom?

    January 26, 2023

    This Day in History on January 25th

    January 25, 2023

    History Short: The Rise and Fall of Sir Walter Raleigh

    January 25, 2023
    This Day in History Video

    Advertisements




    Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via links in the “Historical Evidence” sections of articles.

    About HistoryAndHeadlines.com

    Thanks for visiting History and Headlines!  This site exists primarily for educational purposes and is intended as a resource for Dr. Zar’s students.  Articles are mostly written by either Dr. Zar or his dad (Major Dan).  To any guest readers, please keep that in mind when commenting on articles.   Thank you!

    We try to present our students with historical topics that are both diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.  Our motto is “We try until we succeed!”

    Contact us at admin@historyandheadlines.com

    Guidelines and Policies for Images used on This Site, as well as for Guest and Sponsored Articles, and Other Terms of Use

    Privacy Statement

    © 2022 History and Headlines

    All-Time Most Commented

    July 28, 1866: 18 Year Old Girl Wins Commission to Sculpt Statue of Lincoln (A Truly Great American Woman)

    July 28, 2014

    December 24, 1865: Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

    December 24, 2015

    December 25, 1868: President Johnson Pardons all Confederate Veterans

    December 25, 2015

    February 5, 1909: First Plastic Invented was called Bakelite!

    February 5, 2014

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    November 23, 2013
    Recommended Book
    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

    You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

    History and Headlines
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.