When Was the 21st Amendment Passed?

Key Answer

The 21st Amendment was passed by Congress on February 20, 1933, and was ratified by the states on December 5, 1933, thereby repealing the 18th Amendment and ending nationwide Prohibition.

Constitutional Context for Repeal

The 21st Amendment is unique in the U.S. Constitution because it is the only amendment that explicitly repeals a prior amendment. To understand when it was passed, it is helpful to review the era of Prohibition established by the 18th Amendment and the public sentiment that led to its reversal.

Legislative and Ratification Process

The path from proposal to ratification involved Congress, the states, and specific procedural steps. Below is a verified timeline of major dates and events.

Date or Period	Event	Why It Matters
December 18, 1917	18th Amendment ratified	Established Prohibition, banning the manufacture, sale, and transport of intoxicating liquors.
January 16, 1919	18th Amendment enacted	Prohibition began one year after ratification, as specified in the amendment.
February 20, 1933	Congress proposes the 21st Amendment	This is the date the amendment passed both chambers of Congress and was sent to the states for ratification.
December 5, 1933	36th state (Utah) ratifies	Reaching the necessary three-fourths of states (36 of 48) made the amendment effective, nullifying the 18th Amendment.
December 5, 1933	Prohibition ends	With the 21st Amendment’s ratification, the manufacture, sale, and transport of alcohol became lawful again under federal law.

Text and Structure of the Amendment

The 21st Amendment consists of three sections. Section 1 explicitly repeals the 18th Amendment. Section 2 reserves to the states the primary authority to regulate the transportation, importation, and delivery of intoxicating liquors. Section 3 specifies the ratification method, noting that the amendment must be ratified by conventions in the several states, rather than by state legislatures, and sets a seven-year deadline for state action.

Notable Procedural Details

Use of state conventions: The amendment was ratified by specially elected state conventions, a method chosen to ensure direct voter input on this politically sensitive issue.
Speed of ratification: The 21st Amendment was ratified in just about 10 months, one of the faster ratification processes in U.S. history.
State control: Section 2 remains a cornerstone of federal alcohol policy, granting states broad power to regulate alcohol within their borders.

Long-Term Impact and Modern Relevance

The 21st Amendment reshaped the relationship between the federal government and the states, reinforcing the idea that certain social policies are best decided locally. It also created a patchwork of alcohol laws across the United States, with each state designing its own regulatory system. This legacy continues to influence debates about alcohol regulation, temperance policies, and federalism today.

Summary of Key Dates

To quickly reference when the 21st Amendment was passed, the key milestones are the congressional proposal on February 20, 1933, and final ratification on December 5, 1933.

Metric	Verified Detail	Source Type
Congressional passage	February 20, 1933	Legislative records
State ratification completed	December 5, 1933	Archival state convention results
Effective date	December 5, 1933	Text of the 21st Amendment