Prohibition

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  1. A Nation of Drunkards

  96m

  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.

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  2. A Nation of Scofflaws

  120m

  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.

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  3. A Nation of Hypocrites

  107m

  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.

Cast

Peter Coyote

Self - Narrator (voice)

Daniel Okrent

Self - Author

Pete Hamill

Self - Historian

Noah Feldman

Self - Legal Scholar

Adam Arkin

Reader (voice)

Philip Bosco

Reader (voice)

Patricia Clarkson

Reader / Carrie Nation (voice)

Kevin Conway

Reader (voice)

Blythe Danner

Reader (voice)

Paul Giamatti

Reader / George Remus (voice)

Tom Hanks

Reader / Roy Olmstead (voice)

Jeremy Irons

Reader (voice)