21st Amendment Essay

The 21st Amendment was proposed on February 20th, 1933, was passed on December 5th, 1933 and was rectified during the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. The 21st Amendment was proposed in order to nullify the so-called Prohibition Amendment (18th Amendment). It is the only incident in the constitutional history of the United States that an amendment was repealed. The 21st Amendment of the constitution is inextricably linked with the 18th Amendment. The 18th Amendment prohibited the manufacturing and transportation of Alcohol and other intoxicating liquors in the United States. The 18th Amendment was the consequence of the anti-liquor sentiments present in the 19th century. Most of the religious groups were of the view that intoxication was

Much to the dismay of its supporters the Prohibition Amendment caused more problems than it solved. It became extremely difficult for the federal machinery to implement the Prohibition Amendment and instead of curbing other social evils this step further aggravate the situation. Organized crimes soar due to the black market of Alcohol and with that the movement to repeal the 18th Amendment grew stronger and stronger. By the mid 1920s, the public sentiment was already against the Prohibition and the economic depression of 1930s proved the last nail in the coffin for 18th Amendment. The widespread public disillusionment compelled the Congress to repeal the 18th Amendment. To state it in the words of Hodak, “The rise of organized crime syndicates, spurred by a flourishing bootlegging industry, gave momentum to calls in the early 1930s for a 21st Amendment repealing the "noble experiment."”

The 21st Amendment went a long way in decreasing the influence of organized crime syndicates. Prohibition helped organized crime organizations to get strong as they were able to sell intoxicated beverages at their desired rates due to the illegality of Alcohol. This income from illegal Alcohol selling made these gangs more powerful and increased their area of influence. But, after the enactment of the 21st Amendment, Alcohol became legally available at the local market place and this loss of customer base curbed the economic power of criminal organizations. Consequently, their power is reduced and streets became a little less