I watched the first two episodes of this brilliant TV documentary yesterday on Arte TV. Thanks to the new digital service, I could even watch it in English rather than dubbed in French. I had seen some Ken Burns documentaries before such as The War, and I wasn't disappointed by this excellent documentary which combines all the right elements: excellent background research, spot-on experts and elegant and well-written narration. The first episode 'A Nation of Drunkards' explores the relationship of the American nation with alcohol early on. It's part of American culture. There are various attempt by societies to promote temperance, but it doesn't work. Also the state earns revenue from tax on alcohol. But after the creation of the income tax, it becomes possible to ban alcohol. At that point various pressure group such as the Woman's Christian Temperance Union and the Anti-Saloon League manage to push the idea of an amendment to the constitution. The law came into effect in January 1920. In the second episode 'A Nation of Scofflaws', I discovered that parliament dedicated a tiny amount of money to enforce that law banning all alcohol. As a result, it wasn't really enforced at all. In NY, alcohol still flooded speakeasies and bars. In some cities, such as Seattle, a man became a bootlegger on a grand scale. He was a former policeman! His friends ranged from the mayor, the local judge, etc. That episode stops in 1924. We can already see that people are still drinking and even President Harding is having his whiskey when playing cards...
I can't wait for the rest nest Saturday! If you've never seen the series, try to catch it on TV. I noticed it's a PBS production: no wonder.
