A Nation of Hypocrites -
prohibition

Sun, May 18 11:00 A.M. NHPBS (11.1)  

Support for Prohibition diminishes in the mid-1920s as the playfulness of sneaking around for a drink gives way to disenchantment with its glaring unintended consequences. By criminalizing one of the nation's largest industries, the law has given savvy gangsters a way to make huge profits, and as they grow in power, rival outfits wreak havoc in cities across the country. The burgeoning tabloid newspaper industry fans the frenzy with sensational headlines and front-page photographs of murder scenes, while Al Capone holds press conferences and signs autographs. The wealthy Pauline Sabin begins publicly decrying that Prohibition has divided the nation into "wets, drys, and hypocrites." Nearly a century before, women had hoped Prohibition would make the country a safer place for their children. But by the late 1920s many American women believe that the "Noble Experiment" has failed. Sabin unifies women of all classes, refuting the notion that all women support Prohibition and denouncing the law itself as the greatest threat to their families. Sabin and others argue that repeal will bring in tax revenue and provide desperately needed jobs. After the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932, Congress easily passes the 21st Amendment, which repeals the 18th, and the states quickly ratify it. In December of 1933, Americans can legally buy a drink for the first time in 13 years.

Duration: 1 hour 56 minutes and 46 seconds

Episode Number: 103

All broadcast times for this episode: (show all)

Sun, May 18

11:00 A.M.

A Nation of Hypocrites     NHPBS (11.1)

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About Prohibition:

This 3-part, 5 1/2 hour documentary film series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick tells the story of the rise, rule, and fall of the 18th Amendment to the U.S.

Constitution and the era it encompassed.

The culmination of nearly a century of activism, Prohibition was intended to protect individuals, families, and society at large from the devastating effects of alcohol abuse.

But a faith-driven moral code in the Constitution paradoxically caused millions of Americans to rethink their definition of morality.

Thugs became celebrities, authority was rendered impotent.

Social mores in place for a century were obliterated.

Liquor consumption rocketed, propelling the rest of the culture with it: skirts shortened.

Music heated up.

America's Sweetheart morphed into The Vamp.

Prohibition turned law-abiding citizens into criminals, made a mockery of the justice system, caused illicit drinking to seem glamorous, encouraged neighborhood gangs to become national crime syndicates, and fostered cynicism and hypocrisy that corroded the social contract all across the country.

The film raises vital questions that are as relevant today as they were 100 years ago - about means and ends, individual rights and responsibilities, the proper role of government and finally, who is - and who is not - a real American..

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