The Craziest AMENDMENT In US History

About a month ago, I finished reading a biography on Thomas Jefferson.

Interesting guy.

He was born rich.

But he spent so much money that his children had to sell his house after he died.

He risked his life so his country could be free.

But he owned over 200 slaves.

He died on July 4, exactly 50 years after the founding of America.

When I was done reading the biography, I picked up a copy of The Declaration of Independence, which Jefferson wrote.

And after I got done reading that, I read the U.S. Constitution, which Jefferson did not write because he was busy chasing women and drinking wine in Paris.

Most of it’s pretty boring.

But there’s one part that sticks out like a sore thumb.

THE EIGHTEENTH AMENDMENT

The original Constitution is pretty short — only four pages.

So every now and then, Congress decides to add something new.

These are called “amendments.”

They are amending the original document.

And in 1919, they wrote, voted on and passed an amendment which outlawed alcohol!

Yes, mojitos, frozen margaritas, pina coladas, strawberry daiquiri… even Skinny Bitches!

It’s hard to imagine.

So I asked AI for more information.

“How was that possible? Why did they do it? What were they thinking? What’s so wrong with drinking beer and wine?”

Here’s what I learned…

Back then, people didn’t just drink a beer or two while watching the game.

They got paid on Friday, drank until they didn’t have any money left, then went home and beat the wife and kids.

And this wasn’t just a problem in the US!

Many countries, including Russia, Finland and Norway, also forbade alcohol.

In fact, beer was still illegal in Iceland until 1989.

But then, after a few years of this amendment, the lawmakers saw it wasn’t working as expected.

People still drank.

What they drank sometimes made them blind.

The new black market the amendment created resulted in gang violence.

And the government couldn’t tax this new market.

So in 1933, Congress passed yet another Amendment which basically said “Never mind.”

I’ll drink to that.

Cheers,

Mr. Vig

P.S.

The Atomic Word of the Day is “amend.”

You can amend a constitution.

What else?

Do you know the very common idiom we use with “amend”?

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