Volstead Act

The Volstead Act, otherwise known as the National Prohibition Act of 1919, is a federal law that extended from and provided ways to enforce the 18th Amendment, establishing national prohibition within the United States. Authored by the Congressman Andrew Volstead, the said act played a major role in the establishment of mechanisms and rules concerning prohibition and ensuring the same could be enforced. It defined "intoxicating liquor" as any beverage containing more than 0.5% alcohol by volume which was stricter than many had wished for. The majority of the American public only wanted the ban of hard liquor such as whiskey or scotch but the law included drinks such as beer and wine. The sale, production, and transportation of alcohol banned except for under specific circumstances which was medicinal alcohol, religious ceremony, and industrial use. The act also set up a federal enforcement agency for probation called the Probation Bureau which operated as a division under the US Treasury Department.