Prohibition
“As a battle raged… an era roared”
Creator
Ken Burns, Lynn Novick
The history of the rise, rule and fall of the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and the entire era it encompassed (1920-33). After nearly a century of activism, Prohibition was intended to improve the lives of all citizens by protecting individuals, families and society at large from the devastating effects of alcohol abuse; but paradoxically it made millions of people rethink their definition of morality.
Seasons
1
Episodes
3
Country
United States of America
Status
Ended
Cast
Peter Coyote
Self - Narrator (voice) · 3 eps
Daniel Okrent
Self - Author · 3 eps
Tom Hanks
Reader / Roy Olmstead (voice) · 3 eps
Samuel L. Jackson
Reader (voice) · 3 eps
Jeremy Irons
Reader (voice) · 3 eps
Paul Giamatti
Reader / George Remus (voice) · 3 eps
Patricia Clarkson
Reader / Carrie Nation (voice) · 3 eps
Josh Lucas
Reader (voice) · 3 eps
John Lithgow
Reader / H.L. Mencken (voice) · 3 eps
Oliver Platt
Reader / Al Capone (voice) · 3 eps
Campbell Scott
Reader / F. Scott Fitzgerald (voice) · 3 eps
Amy Madigan
Reader (voice) · 3 eps
Sam Waterston
Reader (voice) · 3 eps
Adam Arkin
Reader (voice) · 3 eps
Blythe Danner
Reader (voice) · 3 eps
Frances Sternhagen
Reader (voice) · 3 eps
Carolyn McCormick
Reader (voice) · 3 eps
Joanne Tucker
Reader (voice) · 3 eps
Philip Bosco
Reader (voice) · 3 eps
Kevin Conway
Reader (voice) · 3 eps
Pete Hamill
Self - Historian · 3 eps
Noah Feldman
Self - Legal Scholar · 3 eps
Reviews
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Trailer
Official trailer
Prohibition
Where to Watch
Streaming
PBS
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1
A Nation of Drunkards
The start of the temperance movement in the 19th century under the stewardship of such leaders as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Frances Willard and Carry Nation; and the Anti-Saloon League, which pushed for a constitutional amendment that would ban the sale and manufacture of alcohol.
2
A Nation of Scofflaws
The problems that the Volstead Act and Prohibition caused, including a possible increase in alcoholism due to women frequenting the illicit speakeasies that replaced male-only saloons; adulterated liquor that poisons some drinkers; and civil-rights violations by overzealous federal agents anxious to make arrests. Despite the public's growing opposition to the ban, few politicians dare to speak against it due to the political might of the Anti-Saloon League.
3
A Nation of Hypocrites
The factors that led to the end of Prohibition. The criminalizing of alcohol feeds large profits into the coffers of criminal organizations and turns such gangsters as Al Capone into celebrities. Wealthy Pauline Sabin encourages the repeal of the 18th Amendment; and brings together women from all classes who support her position. The 21st Amendment, which repeals the 18th, is adopted after Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1932 election and by late 1933 people can again legally buy drinks.
More from the same creator | Ken Burns
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