1920s and Prohibition Timeline

By Rachel Dunn

  • 18th Amendment Passed

    Congress passed the 18th Amendment, which restricted the manufacture and sale of alcohol.

  • 18th Amendment Ratified

    The 18th Amendment was ratified and 46 out of 48 (Hawaii and Alaska weren't states yet) states supported Prohibition.

  • 19th Amendment Passed

    The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote, which is important because women were influential or important in the temperance movement.

  • Wartime Prohibition Act

    The Wartime Prohibition Act, which restricts the sale of beverages containing more than 2.75% alcohol, takes effect.

  • After Wartime Prohibition

    Time of June "Thirsty-First." The very 1st day after wartime Prohibition. Lots of people missed drinking.

  • Volstead Act

    The Volstead Act, or National Prohibition Act, makes it illegal to manufacture beverages with more than a half-percent of alcohol and provides enforcement of the 18th Amendment. Congress overrode President Woodrow Wilson’s veto against it.

  • U.S. Goes Dry

    The country’s fifth-largest industry shuts down because the U.S. goes dry of alcohol beverages.

  • Great Depression Begins

    The Great Depression started after the Wall Street Crash began.

  • Franklin Delano Roosevelt Becomes President

    Franklin Delano Roosevelt became the president and campaigned to end Prohibition and other things.

  • Prohibition Repealed

    The 21st Amendment was ratified and it repealed Prohibition.