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The Constitution of the United States of America
Additional Amendments, Amendment XXI, Section 3
Introduction:
The 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1933, repealed the 18th Amendment, which had established Prohibition. Section 3 of the 21st Amendment specifically addresses the transition from Prohibition to legal alcohol sales. It states that the amendment shall not be construed to affect any prosecution or proceeding pending on the effective date of the amendment, nor shall it affect any rights or liabilities that arose under the 18th Amendment prior to its repeal. Essentially, this section ensures that any legal matters related to Prohibition remain intact even after the repeal.
Actual Text:
“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 hereof to the States by the Congress. ”
