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Photo: Prohibition, Detroit, 1919. (Photo courtesy Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University)

During the era of Prohibition from 1920 until 1933, Americans no longer could manufacture, sell or transport intoxicating beverages. "Spirited: Prohibition in America" explores this tumultuous time in American history, when flappers and suffragists, bootleggers and temperance lobbyists, and legends, such as Al Capone and Carry Nation, took sides in this battle against the bottle.

Visitors will learn about the complex issues that led America to adopt Prohibition through the 18th Amendment to the Constitution in 1919 until its repeal through the 21st Amendment in 1933. Through the exhibition, visitors will learn about the amendment process, the changing role of liquor in American culture, Prohibition’s impact on the Roaring '20s and the role of women, and how current liquor laws vary from state to state.

The exhibition draws on the histories told from both sides of this divisive issue that riled passions and created volatile situations. Today, Prohibition’s legacy can be traced through state laws regulating alcohol, created to avoid the excesses before Prohibition and the corruption and lawlessness experienced during the 1920s.

Museum Details

• Hours: Wednesday - Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• No reservations required.
• Tickets: $7 adults; $5 children and seniors; free for 3 and younger. Purchase tickets online.
• Museum members enjoy free admission.