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Amendment 21: Repeal of Prohibition

The first page of the United States Constitution
The first page of the United States Constitution. National Archives · Public domain. Illustrative image.

AP Gov / Amendment guides

AMENDMENT 21 · RATIFIED 1933 · LATER AMENDMENTS

Repeals the Eighteenth Amendment and addresses alcohol transportation or importation into states contrary to their laws.

Knowing the number helps. Next, try explaining what the amendment changes, where its limits are, and what else you need to know.

The amendment in plain English

The main rule: Repeals the Eighteenth Amendment and addresses alcohol transportation or importation into states contrary to their laws.

A detail worth knowing: It was ratified through state conventions rather than state legislatures.

Watch the limit: Repeal did not make every alcohol regulation unconstitutional. Other constitutional limits also still apply to state regulation.

How it connects

It is a useful example of the convention method of ratifying an amendment.

The Twenty-first expressly repeals the Eighteenth; they do not remain two simultaneously operative national Prohibition rules.

Compare Amendment 18 →

Check the sources

Practice test: Amendment 21

Try the six questions before opening the explanations. The examples are made up for practice. These are our questions, not official exam questions. Blank answers count as not yet correct. Your choices and score stay in this open page and are not sent or saved.

Not checked yet. Choose your answers, then check the reasoning.

1. What is a central rule of Amendment 21?

Main rule

Check the answer and reasoning

A. Repeals the Eighteenth Amendment and addresses alcohol transportation or importation into states contrary to their laws.

Repeals the Eighteenth Amendment and addresses alcohol transportation or importation into states contrary to their laws. Read the actual wording before applying it to a new situation.

2. Which detail belongs with Amendment 21?

Text and details

Check the answer and reasoning

B. It was ratified through state conventions rather than state legislatures.

It was ratified through state conventions rather than state legislatures.

3. A student asks which amendment repealed national Prohibition. Which is correct?

Apply it

Check the answer and reasoning

C. Amendment 21

Repeals the Eighteenth Amendment and addresses alcohol transportation or importation into states contrary to their laws. Identifying a relevant provision starts the analysis; it does not guarantee an outcome.

4. Which statement should you challenge as an overstatement?

Spot the mistake

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D. The Twenty-first Amendment abolished all state authority to regulate alcohol.

Repeal did not make every alcohol regulation unconstitutional. Other constitutional limits also still apply to state regulation.

5. How should you compare Amendments 21 and 18?

Make a comparison

Check the answer and reasoning

A. The Twenty-first expressly repeals the Eighteenth; they do not remain two simultaneously operative national Prohibition rules.

The Twenty-first expressly repeals the Eighteenth; they do not remain two simultaneously operative national Prohibition rules.

6. Before reaching a conclusion in a new scenario, which question is most useful here?

Explain the reasoning

Check the answer and reasoning

B. Is the claim about repeal, state alcohol regulation, or another constitutional restriction on that regulation?

Repeal did not make every alcohol regulation unconstitutional. Other constitutional limits also still apply to state regulation. The right next question helps you avoid making the rule broader than it is.

Written practice: explain it your way

Try these three parts in your own words. This is a study exercise, not an official AP question or scoring guide.

  1. Explain the amendment’s rule in your own words. Name the part of government, right, or process it addresses.
  2. Apply it to the fictional scenario above. Identify one fact that makes the amendment relevant.
  3. Compare it with the linked amendment and explain a limit that could change the analysis.
Open the three-point self-check
  1. Accurately explain: Repeals the Eighteenth Amendment and addresses alcohol transportation or importation into states contrary to their laws.
  2. Connect a fact to the rule, rather than just naming the amendment. Ask: Is the claim about repeal, state alcohol regulation, or another constitutional restriction on that regulation?
  3. Explain the distinction: The Twenty-first expressly repeals the Eighteenth; they do not remain two simultaneously operative national Prohibition rules. Include the limit: Repeal did not make every alcohol regulation unconstitutional. Other constitutional limits also still apply to state regulation.

One point per explained idea is a revision tool, not an AP score prediction.

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Original, AI-assisted student study material. Sources checked October 30, 2026. Educational information, not legal advice. AP is a trademark of College Board, which does not endorse this project. This library covers all 27 amendments; it is not a claim that each amendment has equal AP exam emphasis.