This Day in History:, FDR Signs the Beer
and Wine Revenue Act.
March 22, 1933.
After 14 years of Prohibition, the Beer and Wine Revenue
Act finally allowed the sale and government taxation of
alcoholic beverages with no more than 3.2% alcohol.
The act was part of FDR's New Deal,
a series of economic measures intended
to pull America out of The Great Depression.
It was one of his first actions as president.
Its passage signaled the repeal of the
18th Amendment and the Volstead Act,
which prohibited the sale of alcohol in the U.S.
While a victory for the powerful temperance
movement, Prohibition increased illegal trafficking
of alcohol. It had little effect on its consumption.
Later that year in December,
the 21st Amendment was passed,
bringing the era of Prohibition to an end