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National drinking age

             The National Minimum Drinking Age Act is perhaps the law that has the most impact on the day-to-day lives of America's youth since it was signed into law on July 17, 1984. While the 21-year-old drinking age seems imbedded in American society, it is only a recent innovation. Most people do not know that the drinking age was only made a national law in 1984, and only after a determined battle by special interest groups. .
                       The history of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act truly started back before Prohibition. The temperance movement used selective prohibition (drinking ages) as a stepping stone approach to their goal of outlawing all alcohol. Finally they did achieve the goal of total Prohibition of alcohol, and in 1919 the 18th amendment to the constitution was ratified. Due to the apparent ineffectiveness of   Prohibition and the change in public opinion, the 18th amendment was in 1933 repealed by the 21st amendment. What followed was a compromise with the lingering temperance movement and the modern drinking age was established. "The political failure of general Prohibition meant that American adults would increasingly focus justifications for alcohol policy less on the perils of drunkenness and more on the tenuous concept that adults can drink properly but youths cannot or should not." (Males 190) .
                       From the end of Prohibition until 1984 drinking ages were determined by the states -- many of them had the age at 21 while several lowered the age to 18 for the purchase of beer. This was changed by the activism of the "Baby Boom" generation during the Vietnam War. From 1970 through 1975 nearly all states lowered their legal ages of adulthood, thirty including their legal drinking ages, usually from 21 to 18." (Males 194) It was argued that if people were required to fight and die in a foreign war then they should be allowed the privilege of drinking alcohol.


Essays Related to National drinking age

1. National Drinking Age

... the now instilled policy(Conant 1). There is much data proving and disproving the effectiveness of the new 21-year-old drinking age, but a new policy on a state regulated drinking age should be considered. There has been much controversy over the increased national drinking age of 21 years old mainly because it is relatively new, only to have been imposed in 1984. With increased concern over teenage drunk ... generally most of the cultures normally drink alcohol with dinner and as part of normal social events. To combat the growing sense of the irrationalism of the 21-year-old national ...

  • Word Count: 1792
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

2. Lowering the Legal Drinking Age to 18

... . Some were twenty one; others were eighteen, and then some in between. This lasted for a few years, but then the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 came along. This act forced all states to change their drinking age to twenty one or lose part of the Federal-aid highway funds. It also said the states should pass laws that helped fight drunk driving. So ... were set to twenty one, but this could change. Having the drinking age set to twenty one might not be the best. National Prohibition and safety issues, like underground drinking, are all factors that must be considered in making...

  • Word Count: 1648
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Underage Drinking - Who's Responsible?

... 12 to 20 drink 11% of all alcohol consumed in the United States even though drinking is illegal under the age of 21, "creating negative health, social and economic consequences for adolescents, their families, communities and the nation as a whole" (CDC; Office). The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)'s research, which mainly focuses on the prevention ... of drunk driving, underage drinking and alcohol abuse, advises that alcohol beverage advertising along with lack of ... influential role in preventing alcohol abuse, underage drinking, and drunk driving thro...

  • Word Count: 1424
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Graduate

4. College Students and the Drinking Age

... related car accidents, and approximately 315,000 were seriously injured (Motor Vehicle Crashes.2012, 12). Another reason the drinking age in the United States is 21, is because of the National Minimum Drinking Age of 1984. The National Minimum Drinking Age of 1984 states that the power to set your own drinking age lies with the states. It was signed by President Reagan during his presidency. Here's a list of everything ... in the United States many states didn't hesitate in making a decision. By 1987, every governor, in all 50 states, had agreed to raise the legal drinking age to 21. By ...

  • Word Count: 588
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Defining the Legal Drinking Age

... headline in major news articles nationwide from the L.A. to New York Times all posing the same question. "Should the legal drinking age be lowered in the United States?" The National Minimum Drinking Act of 1984 helped nationalize the legal drinking age of 21. Though at the time statistically lowering the amount of alcohol related injuries this act has become obsolete. The legal ... alcohol-related among the 12 countries reporting data." In this case, the United States is the only country with a legal drinking age of 21 statistically providing a strong correlation between alcohol related ...

  • Word Count: 1178
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

6. Underage Drinking and it's Consequences

... They have changed the law, do to European standards. According to an article, Alcohol in Moderation (AIM), there are over 80 countries with different age drinking rules and regulations. A few that have no minimum drinking age limit are Albania, Ghana, Jamaica and Togo. Additionally, AIM provides information stating that it is illegal to drink and purchase alcohol in Libya because of ... Consuming alcohol on more than one occasion can lead to binge drinking. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism ( NIIAA), they define binge drinking as a pattern of drinking t...

  • Word Count: 2758
  • Approx Pages: 11
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. Legal Drinking Age

... The controversy lies in that the government literally blackmailed states into increasing the legal drinking age. The nationwide legal age limit was enforced with the threat that President Reagan would not give money to states for roads until they increased their drinking ages. When Ronald Reagan signed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act in 1984, the country went dry to everyone under 21-legally, that ... used to help the crippled, blind, deaf, aged, infirm, and builds hospitals and schools (Qtd. in Vogler & Bartz 3-4).? Although the National Minimum Drinking Age Act was enacted to prev...

  • Word Count: 2070
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

8. The Minimum Drinking Age in the United States

... as likely to go out and get "smashed"" on their "coming of age" " birthday. This indicates that the problem lies not in the age of the individual, but rather the initial excitement of a new privilege. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 was put into effect in an effort to reduce underage drinking. However, this act has proved to be unsuccessful: although the act has ... in need of medical assistance will be much more likely to ask for help if they are of age and do not have to fear legal consequences. Regulating drinking is eighteen is more effective than driving it undergroun...

  • Word Count: 1153
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography

9. America Should Reconsider the Drinking Age

... lead to safer and much more responsible young adults when consuming alcohol. The minimum legal drinking age of 21 has set a standard, but most 18 year olds continue to drink anyways. According to national surveys provided by the CDC about 90% of the alcohol consumed by youth under the age of 21 in the United States is in the form of binge drinks. If ... 18, young adults won't feel the need to drink in excessive because they won't have to worry about whether or not they'll have another opportunity to drink. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 has not been the only factor in the...

  • Word Count: 851
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Has Bibliography

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