Repeal Day is today. It commemorates the repeal of the 18th Amendment. Once more, Americans were free to buy, sell, and consume alcoholic beverages. I’ll drink to that!
In the early 1900’s, many of the good people of America believed that alcohol was the root cause of many social ills in the country. Prohibition on a national scale, was promoted in part by the American Christian Women’s Temperance Union. This movement grew in popularity. Ultimately, the United States Congress passed the 18th amendment on January 16, 1919. The 16th Amendment prohibited the manufacture, transportation, sale and consumption of alcohol.
The ban on alcohol did little to improve the social conditions of the country, or to reduce crime. Rather, crime increased as racketeers got into the the business of making and selling alcohol. The popularity of the 18th Amendment waned. More and more people and groups sought it’s repeal.
Congress passed the 21st Amendment, effectively repealing the 18th Amendment. On December 5, 1933, the State of Utah voted it’s approval of the 21st Amendment, achieving the 3/4 of states need to approve this amendment. Thus on this day, the 18th Amendment was formally repealed.
The prohibition of alcohol in Canada arose in various stages, from the possibility of local municipal bans in the late 19th century, to provincial bans in the early 20th century, to national prohibition (a temporary wartime measure) from 1918 to 1920. Most provinces repealed their bans in the 1920s, though alcohol was illegal in Prince Edward Island until 1948.
As legislation prohibiting consumption of alcohol was repealed, it was typically replaced with regulation restricting the sale of alcohol to minors and imposing excise taxes on alcoholic products.
Important Note: While Repeal Day certainly is a day to have a drink in celebration of our rights and freedoms, we should always remember to drink responsibly.