Spirited explores the history of Prohibition, from the dawn of the temperance movement to the unprecedented repeal of a constitutional amendment in 1933. What made the country go “dry” and how did America change during this period in history? Visitors to Spirited will learn about the amendment process, the role of liquor in American culture, the cultural revolution of the roaring ’20s, and how liquor laws vary from state to state today.

This exhibition is made possible by NEH on the Road, a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Spirited: Prohibition in America is based on the exhibition American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition, organized by the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, PA, in collaboration with DanielOkrent, author of Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition.

Photo credit: Prohibition, Detroit, 1919, black-and-white photograph, courtesy Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University