LCCC:

Historian Peter Kern presents a lecture, “Prohibition: America’s Attempt to Legislate Morality,” 1 p.m. Oct. 5, Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum, Allentown.

“Prohibition is a fascinating era. It transformed our nation,” said Joseph Garrera, Executive Director of the Museum.

One hundred years ago, in 1919, the United States ratified the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, banning the production, transportation and sale of intoxicating beverages. It went into effect one year later, along with companion legislation known as the Volstead Act.

This resulted in the production and distribution of illegal bootleg liquor and an accompanying increase in violence by gangs of bootleggers, including Chicago gangster Al Capone. America’s “noble social experiment” in legislating morals ended in 1933, when national Prohibition was repealed.

Information: lehighvalleyheritagemuseum.org; 610-435-1074