on January 16, 1919. It prohibited the, "manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States."
Boundless. "The Prohibition Movement - Boundless Open Textbook." Boundless. Boundless, 20 Nov. 2016. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.
The selling of alcohol was illegal, but alcoholic drinks were still widely available; this is where "bootleggers," came in. The prohibition had more negative effects (such as those in the agricultural business and in federal, state, and local tax revenues) than positives. The absence of the profit from alcoholic hurt America economically.