when did the us increase the drinking age to 21
1984
title: U.S. history of alcohol minimum purchase age by state text: 10% of their federal highway funds. By mid-1988, all 50 states and the District of Columbia had raised their purchase ages to 21 (but not Puerto Rico, Guam, or the Virgin Islands, see Additional Notes below). South Dakota and Wyoming were the final two states to comply with the age 21 mandate. The current drinking age of 21 remains a point of contention among many Americans, because of it being higher than the age of majority (18 in most states) and higher than the drinking ages of most other countries. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act is also seen as title: U.S. history of alcohol minimum purchase age by state text: from 21 to 18 in 1971 with the 26th amendment. Many states started to lower their minimum drinking age in response, most of this occurring in 1972 or 1973. Twelve states kept their purchase ages at 21 since repeal of Prohibition and never changed them. From 1976 to 1983, several states voluntarily raised their purchase ages to 19 (or, less commonly, 20 or 21), in part to combat drunk driving fatalities. In 1984, Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, which required states to raise their ages for purchase and public possession to 21 by October 1986 or lose title: National Minimum Drinking Age Act text: occasions (e.g. communion wines, Kiddush). The act was expressly upheld as constitutional in 1987 by the United States Supreme Court in "South Dakota v. Dole". Legislation concerning the legal minimum drinking age in the United States can be traced back to the days of Prohibition. In 1920, the 18th amendment to the U.S. Constitution declared it illegal to manufacture, transport, or sell intoxicating liquors. This was repealed with the passing of the 21st Amendment in 1933, which was followed by the adoption of minimum legal drinking age policies in all states, with most states electing a minimum legal drinking age title: Legal drinking age controversy in the United States text: Legal drinking age controversy in the United States The legal drinking age varies from country to country. In the United States, the legal drinking age is currently 21. Other countries have raised the prices of alcohol and encouraged the general public to drink less. Having a legal drinking age of 21 allows for the hope that drinking would become less reckless and the people drinking would be more mature to make reasonable decisions when it comes to alcohol consumption. A survey of Australian college students demonstrated that they and other students witnessed blackouts during parties with alcohol consumption and around title: Amethyst Initiative text: Amethyst Initiative The Amethyst Initiative is an organization made up of U.S. college presidents and chancellors that in July 2008 launched a movement calling for the reconsideration of U.S. legal drinking age, particularly the minimum age of 21. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 requires all US states to raise their minimum age for purchase and public possession of alcohol to 21 or face a reduction in highway funds under the Federal-Aid Highway Act. The Amethyst Initiative was initiated by John McCardell, founder of Choose Responsibility, a former professor of history at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont and