State Dates - 18th & 21st Amendment Ratifications
Ratification of the 18th Amendment was done by vote of each state’s legislature, as is customary. However, ratification of the 21st Amendment was in all states done by convening special “ratifying conventions.” State legislators knew that Prohibition enjoyed widespread public support, and they were terrified of having to stand up and be counted when it came to Repeal.
The 21st was the only constitutional amendment adopted by convention instead of by vote.
|
18th Amendment |
21st Amendment |
| Mississippi |
8 January 1918 |
(no action) |
| Virginia |
11 January 1918 |
25 October 1933 |
| Kentucky |
14 January 1918 |
27 November 1933 |
| North Dakota |
25 January 1918 |
(no action) |
| South Carolina |
29 January 1919 |
(rejected) |
| Maryland |
13 February 1919 |
18 October 1933 |
| Montana |
19 February 1919 |
8 August 1934 |
| Texas |
4 March 1919 |
24 November 1933 |
| Delaware |
18 March 1918 |
24 June 1933 |
| South Dakota |
20 March 1918 |
(no action) |
| Massachusetts |
2 April 1918 |
26 June 1933 |
| Arizona |
24 May 1918 |
5 September 1933 |
| Georgia |
26 June 1918 |
(no action) |
| Louisiana |
3 August 1918 |
(no action) |
| Florida |
27 November 1918 |
14 November 1933 |
| Michigan |
7 February 1919 |
10 April 1933 |
| Ohio |
7 January 1919 |
5 December 1933 |
| Oklahoma |
7 January 1919 |
(no action) |
| Idaho |
8 January 1919 |
17 October 1933 |
| Maine |
8 January 1919 |
(no action) |
| West Virginia |
9 January 1919 |
25 July 1933 |
| California |
13 January 1919 |
24 July 1933 |
| Tennessee |
13 January 1919 |
11 August 1933 |
| Washington |
13 January 1919 |
3 October 1933 |
| Arkansas |
14 January 1919 |
1 August 1933 |
| Kansas |
14 January 1919 |
(no action) |
| Illinois |
14 January 1919 |
10 July 1933 |
| Indiana |
14 January 1919 |
26 June 1933 |
| Alabama |
15 January 1919 |
8 August 1933 |
| Colorado |
15 January 1919 |
26 September 1933 |
| Iowa |
15 January 1919 |
10 July 1933 |
| New Hampshire |
15 January 1919 |
11 July 1933 |
| Oregon |
15 January 1919 |
7 August 1933 |
| Nebraska |
16 January 1919 |
(no action) |
| North Carolina |
16 January 1919 |
(refused to call a convention) |
| Utah |
16 January 1919 |
5 December 1933 |
| Missouri |
16 January 1919 |
29 August 1933 |
| Wyoming |
16 January 1919 |
25 May 1933 |
| Minnesota |
17 January 1919 |
10 October 1933 |
| Wisconsin |
17 January 1919 |
25 April 1933 |
| New Mexico |
20 January 1919 |
2 November 1933 |
| Nevada |
21 January 1919 |
5 September 1933 |
| New York |
29 January 1919 |
27 June 1933 |
| Vermont |
29 January 1919 |
23 September 1933 |
| Pennsylvania |
25 February 1919 |
05 December 1933 |
| New Jersey |
5 March 1922 |
01 June 1933 |
| Connecticut |
(rejected) |
11 July 1993 |
| Rhode Island |
(rejected) |
8 May 1933 |
After Repeal, 18 states continued to enforce their own prohibitory laws; the last to go wet was Alabama, in 1966.
Over half of the states enacted “local option” laws, and hundreds of municipalities are still dry by vote of their own residents. |