The threat to public media has grown. Act now with a donation to sustain our work!

DONATE NOW
Prohibition show's poster

A Nation of Drunkards

PROHIBITION tells the story of the rise, rule, and fall of the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the entire era it encompassed. Prohibition was intended to protect all Americans from the devastating effects of alcohol abuse. But, paradoxically, the enshrining of a faith-driven moral code in the Constitution caused millions of Americans to rethink their definition of morality.

RMPBS Passport

Please log in to your PBS Passport account to watch this video

Become a Member

A Nation of Drunkards

Season 1 Episode 1 | 96m 0s | CC

The story of Prohibition's rise and fall is a compelling saga that goes far beyond the oft-told tales of gangsters, flappers, and speakeasies, to reveal a complicated and divided nation in the throes of momentous transformation.

Funding is provided by Bank of America; PBS; CPB; The National Endowment for the Humanities; The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations; members of the Better Angels Society, including the Montrone Family through The Penates Foundation; and Park Foundation, Inc.