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The 18th Amendment to the US Constitution is ratified by 36 states. The Amendment bans the production, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages, it doesn't outlaw their consumption. -
The 19th amendment legally guarantees American women the right to vote. Achieving this required a lengthy and difficult struggle, the victory took decades of agitation and protest.
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A temporary federal measure was enacted in November 1918. Which barred the manufacture of beer and wine. Restricting the sale of beverages containing more than 2.75% alcohol. -
The US passes the Congress passes the Volstead Act and establishes guidelines for the enforcement of prohibition. The law goes into effect on January 17, 1920. -
A large black market develops around the country. The darker side includes gangs of bootleggers led by figures such as Al Capone, the boss of an organized crime syndicate in Chicago. -
Prohibition agent Elliot Ness begins in earnest to tackle violators of Prohibition, including Al Copane's gang in Chicago. It is a very difficult task. Capone will ultimately be arrested and prosecuted for tax evasion in 1931. -
Herbert Hoover gives an acceptance speech for the Republican presidential nomination in which he discusses the ills of prohibition and the need for its end. -
The US Congress proposes an amendment to the Constitution that would end Prohibition. -
Newly elected President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Cullen-Harrison Act, which legalizes the manufacture and sale of certain alcoholic products. Support for Prohibition continues, and many call for its removal. -
Prohibition is officially repealed by the passage of the 21st amendment to the US Constitution.
