Remembering prohibition: When America went dry

Hailey Waldo editor@riverbendnews.org On Oct. 28, 1919, the United States Congress passed the Volstead Act, setting into motion one of the most dramatic and controversial chapters in American history, Prohibition. Officially known as the National Prohibition Act, the Volstead Act provided the legal framework to enforce the recently ratified 18thAmendment, which banned the manufacture, sale and transportation of intoxicating liquors. Though the amendment made alcohol illegal in theory, it was the Volstead act that made it a reality, defining what “intoxicating” meant and outlining how the law would be carried out across the nation. Sponsored by Minnesota Congressman Andrew Volstea