This March, the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia is welcoming back American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition, its critically acclaimed exhibit that brings the story of Prohibition vividly to life. The exhibit, created by the National Constitution Center, originally debuted in 2012 and has since toured nationally, including stops at the Seattle’s Museum of History and Industry in Washington, Grand Rapids Public Museum in Michigan and Peoria Riverfront Museum in Illinois. It will open to the public on Friday, March 3, and run through July 16.
An exclusive, members-only sneak preview opening party is planned for Thursday, March 2. The event will include an America’s Town Hall panel discussion on the constitutionality of Prohibition and its impact on American society today.
“We are thrilled to have this superb exhibit back from its national tour,” said president and CEO Jeffrey Rosen. “American Spirits brings the U.S. Constitution to life. Visitors can educate themselves about the constitutional legacy of Prohibition and how to amend the Constitution today.”
The exhibit uses a mix of artifacts and engaging visitor activities to take visitors back in time to the dawn of the temperance movement, through the Roaring ’20s and to the unprecedented repeal of a constitutional amendment.
The 5,000-square-foot exhibit features over 100 rare artifacts, including:
- A 1929 Buick Marquette. One of the bootleggers’ key innovations was the “Whiskey Six,” six-cylinder cars, such as the Buick Marquette on display, that bootleggers would modify extensively to accommodate illegal cargo and evade authorities.
- A hatchet used by the famous saloon buster, Carry Nation.
- A telephone used by Roy Olmstead to operate his bootlegging empire. Olmstead, after leaving the Seattle police force, became the most successful bootlegger in the Pacific Northwest. He was also the plaintiff in Olmstead v. United States, one of the most important Fourth Amendment cases to arise during Prohibition.
- Original ratification copies of the 18th and 21st Amendments.
- Al Capone’s guilty verdict, which convicted the crime boss of not paying taxes on money earned from his illegal operations.
- A Prohibition Bureau Badge issued by the Department of Justice.
- Prohibition agent Eliot Ness’ signed oath of office from 1926 in which he swore to “support and defend the Constitution.”
- Flapper dresses, cocktail couture and other women’s and men’s fashion accessories from the 1920s.
- Original home manufacturing items used for making moonshine, homebrewed beer and other illegal and highly potent liquor.
American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition has been critically acclaimed for its immersive visitor experience. Visitors can:
- Trace how the temperance movement culminated in the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution with Wayne Wheeler’s Amazing Amendment Machine, a 20-foot-long, carnival-inspired contraption.
- Sit in a pew of a re-created early 1900s church to learn about the rise of the Anti-Saloon League and take a quiz to see if they would have been a “wet” (opposed to prohibition) or a “dry” (in support of prohibition).
- Step inside a re-created speakeasy to learn the Charleston and explore the music, fashion and culture that made the ’20s roar.
- View an infographic that reveals the widespread use of alcohol in 1830 (the highest year of per capita consumption on record) compared to today. Through subsequent displays, visitors learn about alcohol’s devastating impact on American society in the 1800s.
- Test their knowledge of what could and could not be consumed under the rules of the National Prohibition Act, the 18th Amendment’s enabling legislation, in the “Is it Legal?” interactive quiz.
- Play the role of a federal Prohibition agent chasing rumrunners in a custom-built video game.
- Join gangsters in a criminal lineup for a memorable photo opportunity.
- View a newsreel reporting on the latest repeal-related events—projected in a 1930s-style theater.
For more information, visit The National Constitution Center online.
The National Constitution Center is located at 525 Arch Street on Philadelphia’s Independence Mall. The Center is open 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and from noon–5 p.m. on Sundays.
- Photos: National Constitution Center
