Claim Citation Readiness
Claim Count
1
Claim Fact-Check Status
Contributors
Date Precision
Exact day
Destination URL
Display Date
March 22, 1933
End Sort Year
1933
Era
Prohibition and Repeal
Event ID
43
Evidence Confidence
Strong
Featured?
Geography
United States
Historical Significance
It was the first major federal retreat from national Prohibition in 1933, but it did not legalize whiskey or repeal the Eighteenth Amendment.
Last Reviewed
September 2, 2026
Publication Status
Published
Record Type
Event
Research Notes
Publication boundary: distinguish approval on March 22 from the Act’s effective date fifteen days later. Preserve the alcohol-by-weight unit and continued state restrictions.
Scope
American Whiskey Core
Start Sort Year
1933
Summary
Congress and President Roosevelt approved a limited legal opening for specified fermented beverages containing no more than 3.2 percent alcohol by weight.
Thematic Lanes
Law and TaxationBusiness and MarketsCulture and Consumption
Timeline Date
March 22, 1933
Evidence
Publication boundary
This is the approval date. Legal effect began fifteen days later, on April 7, 1933. The Act concerned lower-alcohol fermented beverages, not whiskey.