Prohibition of beverage alcohol
Created nationwide Prohibition; the 21st Amendment repealed it in 1933.
In Simple, Modern English
Section 1 prohibited making, selling, transporting, importing, or exporting intoxicating liquor for beverage purposes throughout the United States and its territories, beginning one year after ratification.
Section 2 let Congress and the states both enforce the prohibition.
Section 3 required ratification within seven years of submission.
Important Clauses & Details
Section 1: Prohibited activities
The text targeted the manufacture and distribution of beverage alcohol. It did not expressly prohibit consumption itself.
Sections 2-3: Enforcement and deadline
National and state governments had concurrent enforcement authority. Ratification had a seven-year deadline; implementation began one year after ratification.
Why It Was Added
Temperance advocates linked alcohol to domestic abuse, poverty, and social disorder. Decades of organizing and wartime political conditions helped produce national Prohibition, which took effect in 1920.
Repealed, not current law. The text remains part of the historical amendment record, but its prohibition no longer operates.
Plain-English study paraphrases summarize the text; they are not verbatim translations. Historical provisions and later changes are identified above. Sources: National Archives and Constitution Annotated.