In that case, said Tom Cecial, I was a madman of my own accord when I volunteered to become your squire, and, of my own accord, I'll leave off being one and go home. View in context
The National Minimum Drinking Age Act is perhaps the law that has the most impact on the day-to-day lives of Americaâs youth since it was signed into law on July 17, 1984. While the 21-year-old drinking age seems embedded in American society, it is only a recent innovation.
How did we end up with a drinking age of 21? In short, because of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. This law basically told states that they had to enact a minimum drinking age of 21 or lose up to 10 percent of their federal highway funding. Since that's serious coin, the states jumped into line fairly quickly.