Spirited Republic

The National Archives Museum has taken our latest exhibition catalog straight to digital to offer it to a wider audience and it’s free. “Spirited Republic: Alcohol in American History” is an exhibition on view at the National Archives in Washington, DC March 6, 2015 through January 10, 2016.

Throughout our history, Americans have engaged in lively debates about alcohol and its place in our society. “Spirited Republic: Alcohol in American History” explores the role the Federal government has played in regulating, promoting, investigating, prohibiting, and warning about alcohol. It showcases records from the National Archives including patent drawings, labels, photographs from Prohibition, temperance petitions, posters, and letters. Artifacts include George Washington’s still, a first edition of Alcoholics Anonymous, decanters, Betty Ford’s serenity prayer token, and Franklin Roosevelt’s cocktail shaker.