On Jan. 17, 1920, the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution went into effect, ushering in a 13-year period known as Prohibition.
Prohibition banned the manufacturing, transportation and sale of certain alcoholic beverages in the United States.
The passage of Prohibition was years in the making, with the establishment of organizations like the Anti-Saloon League and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. By the time the 18th Amendment went into effect, no fewer than 33 states had already enacted their own prohibition legislation.
Despite the new legislation, federal and local governments struggled to enforce Prohibition during the 1920s.
