Whispering Wires
Roy Olmstead is caught in a wiretap and sentenced to four years hard labor. His convicition is upheld by the Supreme Court, but Olmstead receives a pardon in 1935.
Drinking More
Millions of Americans stopped drinking during Prohibition, but those that did drink, women as well as men, drank more.
Extended Look | The Eighteenth Amendment
Prohibition, from Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, explores the rise and fall of the Eighteenth Amendment.
Fiorella LaGuardia
Fiorella LaGuardia was a Republican Congressman of New York and critic of the Volstead Act.
The Good Bootlegger
Roy Olmstead, a Seattle police officer turned to bootlegging and was known to provide the best product on the west coast. He used bribery instead of violence, and was known as 'The Good Bootlegger.'
Lois Long
Lois Long, pen-name 'Lipstick,' wrote about speakeasies for the New Yorker. Women who could not afford to live the decadent lifestyle got to read about her exploits.
Mabel Walker Willebrandt
Mabel Walker Willebrandt was the Asst. Attorney Gen. and in charge of the Prohibition enforcement policy.
Neal Dow
Wealthy Mayor of Portland, ME. In 1851 he demanded the state legislature ban the sale of alcohol.
George Remus The Primrose Path
George Remus, King of the Bootleggers, is caught by the government, then put on trial for murdering his wife.
Absolute Shall
The problem of drink would have to be overcome through legislation rather than voluntary abstinence.
Satan's Seat (NYC)
New York was the city with the most illegal speakeasies, and the toughest city to crack down on drinking.
Retribution
The Anti Saloon League successfully combined propaganda, religion and political coercion to make alcohol a wedge issue in elections.
The Roots of Prohibition
A review of alcohol's influence in America. Beer and Wine are overtaken by hard liquors.
Two Americas
The 1924 Democratic Convention between William McAdoo and Al Smith pitted rural vs. urban america and would set the stage for 1928.
Rum Row
Rum Row started at the tip of Maine and continued down to the coast of Florida. Boats would wait three miles off the coastline then bring in illegal alcohol at night.
America, A Multi-Ethnic Nation
At the beginning of the 20th century most of the population shifted from rural to urban through immigration.
Al Capone Downfall
In 1931, Al Capone is finally caught by the government for failing to file income tax.
The Volstead Act
The Volstead Act was much stricter than most Americans had anticipated, including Wine and Beer in Prohibition.
Extended Look | The Jazz Age
Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Wynton Marsalis discuss what it takes to put together the score for Prohibition, and how the music takes on a life of it's own.
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