Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution facts for kids

The Eighteenth Amendment (Amendment XVIII) to the Constitution of the United States was a law that made it illegal to make, sell, or move alcoholic drinks in the United States. It was approved on January 17, 1919, and started one year later. This law began a time in American history called the Prohibition Era.

During this time, many Americans did not follow the law. People who could afford expensive, smuggled alcohol went to secret bars called speakeasies. Other people made their own alcohol at home, like "moonshine" or "bathtub gin." The Eighteenth Amendment did not work well. People actually started drinking more, and crime increased a lot. Because it was so unsuccessful, another law, the Twenty-first Amendment, later canceled it. The Eighteenth Amendment is the only amendment in U.S. history to be canceled by another amendment.

What the Amendment Said

The Eighteenth Amendment had three main parts, called sections:

Section 1: The Ban

This part said that after one year, it would be against the law to make, sell, or move alcoholic drinks anywhere in the United States. It also banned bringing alcohol into the country or sending it out.

Section 2: Enforcing the Law

This section gave both the U.S. government and the individual states the power to create laws to make sure the amendment was followed. Congress passed a law called the Volstead Act to help enforce it. The Volstead Act said that any drink with more than half of one percent alcohol was considered "intoxicating." It also gave the Internal Revenue Service (a government agency) the job of enforcing this law.

Section 3: Ratification Time Limit

This part set a time limit of seven years for the states to approve the amendment. If enough states did not approve it within that time, the amendment would not become law. This was the first time an amendment had such a time limit. To become law, three-quarters of the states (which was 36 out of 48 states at that time) had to approve it.

How the Amendment Became Law

Congress officially sent the Eighteenth Amendment to the states on December 18, 1917. The 36th state needed to approve it did so on January 16, 1919. This meant the amendment was officially approved. The law then went into effect one year later, on January 17, 1920. Most states approved the amendment, but Rhode Island was the only state that voted against it.

Images for kids

• 

  The Eighteenth Amendment document in the National Archives

• 

  After the 36th state approved the amendment, the U.S. Secretary of State had to officially announce it. New laws were then made to put the amendment into action one year later.

See also

In Spanish: Decimoctava Enmienda a la Constitución de los Estados Unidos para niños