A toast to the 21st amendment and the demise of the 18th

Cotter’s Corner

By Daniel A. Cotter

Daniel A. Cotter is vice president, general counsel and secretary of Fidelity Life Association and an adjunct professor at The John Marshall Law School, where he teaches SCOTUS Judicial Biographies. He is also president of The Chicago Bar Association. The article is Cotter’s opinion and not to be attributed to Fidelity Life, the CBA or John Marshall.

Posted November 26, 2014 2:48 PM

In the history of the U.S. Constitution, only one amendment has been ratified and become part of the Constitution and then removed by another amendment. That amendment was the 18th Amendment, which prohibited alcoholic beverages in the United States. It was ratified on Jan. 16, 1919, and went into effect on Jan. 17, 1920. The Volstead Act was enacted by Congress to enforce the 18th Amendment. It was passed nine months later in October 1919.Reasons for the amendment The temperance movement in the United States made …

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