The process to ratify a constitutional amendment is complicated and time-consuming. The Archivist of the United States, who heads the National Archives and Records Administration, oversees the procedure. Congress can propose an amendment by a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate. Alternatively, two-thirds of the states can call for a constitutional convention, though no amendment has ever been proposed in that manner. Once an amendment passes Congress, it must be approved by three-fourths of the states.
The 18th Amendment, which established Prohibition, went into effect on January 16, 1919, marking the beginning of the Prohibition Era. The amendment banned the manufacture, transportation, and sale of intoxicating liquors. This did not cause much change in North Dakota, as the state had entered the Union as a dry state in 1889. Prohibition was not widely popular in North Dakota, and there were plenty of bootleggers supplying “blind pigs” where alcohol was sold. However, opponents of alcohol were well-organized, particularly through the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and ministerial associations, and prohibition was firmly established in the state. From Maine to Oregon, many other states like North Dakota had officially prohibited alcohol and welcomed the amendment.
The Roaring Twenties went into full swing, but Prohibition failed to deliver on its promise of creating a more sober society. Speakeasies were packed every night with patrons who danced and drank to excess. Proponents of Prohibition were sorely disappointed.
Prohibition did not last long. On this date in 1933, the 21st Amendment was ratified, repealing the 18th Amendment. Nevertheless, Prohibition did not disappear overnight. Arthur J. Gronna, who was running for state Attorney General, reminded North Dakotans that Prohibition remained on the books in the state. He asserted that anyone selling liquor in North Dakota would be prosecuted.
North Dakotans set new records for voter turnout in the 1936 election, spurred by a highly contested race for governor, which saw William Langer return to office. Perhaps it was no coincidence that alcohol was also on the ballot. Voters passed a measure that moved the state from “dry” to “wet” in that election.
Dakota Datebook by Dr. Carole Butcher
