21. Amendment to the United States Constitution
The 21st Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America ( English Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution ) raised the country-wide alcohol prohibition , which in 1920 with the 18th Amendment to the United States had been introduced. It was passed by Congress on February 20, 1933 , and on December 5, 1933, sufficient state parliaments had ratified it. As the only amendment to date, it has not been ratified by the parliaments of the individual states, but by assemblies specially elected for this purpose; this method was chosen because the influence of anti-alcohol activists on many MPs and party leaderships in the individual states was still very strong; therefore, one relied (ultimately successfully) on the "silent majority", whose opinion had meanwhile turned against prohibition.
Part 1
English
The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.
German
The 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution is hereby repealed.
Section 2
English
The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.
German
Transporting or importing intoxicating beverages into any state , territory, or possession of the United States for sale or consumption is prohibited if it violates the law there.
Section 3
English
This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission here of to the States by the Congress.
German
This constitutional amendment remains invalid if it is not approved as an amendment to the constitution within seven years of its announcement to the states by the congress of constitutional assemblies in the individual states.
meaning
In addition to the abolition of the nationwide prohibition , the constitutional amendment contains a further important point. The federal government returned alcohol legislation to each state. Section 2 explicitly refers to the laws of the individual states. This resulted in legislation on the handling of intoxicating beverages that still varies from state to state - Mississippi was the last state to completely abolish prohibition until 1966, and it is still in force in individual cities and counties in various states. The reinforcement of state autonomy is also reflected in Section 3. There it is indicated that assemblies in the individual states must confirm the constitutional amendment. The constitutional approach is strongly emphasized.
