What did Article 18 of the Constitution abolish?

Asked by: Ned Hansen  |  Last update: February 10, 2026
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Article 18 of the Indian Constitution abolished hereditary titles and prohibited the State from conferring titles (except military/academic), aiming to remove social distinctions and promote equality, while Article 18 of the U.S. Constitution (the Eighteenth Amendment) banned the production, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages, establishing Prohibition, which was later repealed by the 21st Amendment.

What is article 18 of the constitution?

Article 18, Constitution of India 1950

(1) No title, not being a military or academic distinction, shall be conferred by the State. (2) No citizen of India shall accept any title from any foreign State.

What does the 18th Amendment abolish?

The Eighteenth Amendment declared the production, transport, and sale of intoxicating liquors illegal, although it did not outlaw possession or consumption of alcohol. Shortly after the amendment was ratified, Congress passed the Volstead Act to provide for the federal enforcement of Prohibition.

What is Article 18 in one word?

Article 18 of Indian Constitution included under the Fundamental Rights, addresses the elimination of titles. It bars the state from granting any titles with the exception of academic and military distinctions.

What is clause 18 of the constitution?

Article I, Section 8, Clause 18: [The Congress shall have Power . . . ] To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

ARTICLE 18 | Abolition of Title | Fundamental Rights | Indian Constitution | Caselaw & Examples

37 related questions found

What is Section 18 of the Constitution?

17. Everyone has the right, peacefully and unarmed, to assemble, to demonstrate, to picket and to present petitions. 18. Everyone has the right to freedom of association.

Which president repealed the 18th Amendment?

Roosevelt, President of the United States of America pursuant to the provisions of Section 217 (a) of the said Act of June 16, 1933, do hereby proclaim that the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States was repealed on the fifth day of December, 1933.

What are the limitations of Article 18?

Article 18(3) of the ICCPR only allows limitations on FoRB in the interest of (1) public safety, (2) public order, (3) public health, (4) public morals, or (5) the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.

Why abolish titles of nobility?

They understood it as their mission to build a modern state that espoused legal equality and a live that was not influenced by who you were born as but rather on what you did - on a social and legal level. The idea of nobility was strongly against their ideology of equality and democracy. That is why they abolished it.

What was the impact of Article 18?

Article 18 distinguishes the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief from the freedom to manifest religion or belief. It does not permit any limitations whatsoever on the freedom of thought and conscience or on the freedom to have or adopt a religion or belief of one's choice.

Why did people ignore the 18th Amendment?

These are its unenforceability, the lack of state control over the alcohol industry and the impossibility of legislating sober living. These points were also prominent in the ratification debates in Connecticut and Rhode Island. The Amendment ultimately failed and was repealed in 1933.

When did they change the legal age from 18 to 21?

The legal drinking age in the U.S. changed from primarily 18 (after some states lowered it in the 1970s) to 21 due to the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, which pressured states to raise their age by threatening to withhold federal highway funds, with all states complying by 1988. 

Is amendment 18 still relevant today?

No, the 18th Amendment, which established Prohibition, is not still in effect; it was repealed by the 21st Amendment on December 5, 1933, making it the only U.S. constitutional amendment ever repealed, though states can still have local alcohol restrictions. 

Is God mentioned in the US Constitution?

No, the U.S. Constitution does not explicitly mention God, Jesus, or Christianity; its framework is secular, focusing on governmental structure, though it mentions "religion" in the First Amendment to protect religious freedom and prohibit an established religion. The only divine reference is in the signing date, "in the Year of our Lord," a common phrase of the era, not a theological statement, notes TCU Magazine.
 

Does Article 18 apply to everyone?

Article 18

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Which countries have abolished titles?

Many countries used constitutional monarchies until they decided the system was either outdated, undemocratic, or unworkable: • France (multiple times) • Germany (pre–World War I) • Italy (abolished monarchy in 1946) • Greece (abolished monarchy in 1973) • Portugal (ended monarchy in 1910) • Brazil (abolished monarchy ...

Does the U.S. president hold a title of nobility?

No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.

Can I buy a Baron title?

Times may have changed and the inherited right to a country house can no longer be transferred but the titles of Sealand are still up for grabs and you can easily buy a baron or baroness title. When your new baron and baroness titles are conferred you would be in good company.

Can you be nobility without a title?

In many nations, most of the nobility have been untitled, and some hereditary titles do not indicate nobility (e.g., vidame). Some countries have had non-hereditary nobility, such as the Empire of Brazil or life peers in the United Kingdom.

Does freedom of religion apply to everyone?

The first 16 words of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” protect the right of every person to practice religion in accordance with conscience and guard against creation of a sectarian state.

What is Article 18 of the UN Declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples?

Article 18

Indigenous peoples have the right to participate in decision-making in matters which would affect their rights, through representatives chosen by themselves in accordance with their own procedures, as well as to maintain and develop their own indigenous decision-making institutions.

What is the Article 18 of the human rights Act?

Article 18 Limitation on use of restrictions on rights

The restrictions permitted under this Convention to the said rights and freedoms shall not be applied for any purpose other than those for which they have been prescribed.

What was the worst kept secret of Prohibition?

Prohibition's worst-kept secret was the ubiquitous, openly operating speakeasies (illicit bars) and widespread bootlegging, where alcohol flowed freely despite the law, often with payoffs to police and federal agents, defying the 18th Amendment through blatant defiance, bribes, and widespread consumer demand. The sheer number of these hidden (but not very hidden) establishments and the open commerce in illegal liquor became a defining feature of the era, showing how easily the ban was circumvented. 

What made alcohol legal again?

Alcohol became legal again in the U.S. with the ratification of the 21st Amendment on December 5, 1933, which repealed the 18th Amendment and ended the nationwide ban (Prohibition) put in place by the Volstead Act; the repeal was driven by widespread public dissatisfaction, failure of enforcement, and the need for tax revenue, especially to support President Roosevelt's New Deal programs.
 

What does the 27th Amendment say?

The 27th Amendment says that any law changing the salaries of U.S. Senators and Representatives cannot take effect until after the next election for the House of Representatives, preventing lawmakers from giving themselves immediate pay raises and giving voters a chance to weigh in. This amendment, originally proposed in 1789, was ratified in 1992, making it the most recent addition to the Constitution, with the longest ratification period in U.S. history.