What Did the Volstead Act Prohibit?

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Purpose of the Volstead Act

  • The Volstead Act prohibited manufacture, sale, or transport of intoxicating liquors.
  • It executed the 18th Amendment’s prohibition in the United States.
  • Wayne Wheeler of the Anti-Saloon League conceived and drafted the bill.
  • Andrew Volstead, House Judiciary Committee chairman, managed the legislation.
  • The act defined what was narcotic alcohol in line with the Eighteenth Amendment.
  • By 1919, twenty-six states had adopted sanctions.

Repeal of the Volstead Act

  • The Volstead Act remained effective until 1933 when the 21st Amendment repealed prohibition.

Prohibition under the 18th Amendment

  • The 18th Amendment prohibited the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors in the United States.
  • It was ratified in January 1919 to establish prohibition.
  • Anti-Saloon League’s Wayne Wheeler conceived and drafted the bill, named after House Judiciary Committee chairman Andrew Volstead who managed the legislation.
  • By 1919, twenty-six states had already adopted sanctions against saloons.

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