Temperance
Alcohol is bad for your soul
The Temperance Movement
• The Temperance Movement focused primarily
around the eradication of alcohol and
prostitution
• The Second Great Awakening called for a more
pure society and called for strong moral reform,
thus people naturally saw alcohol and lust as
agents of evil, so the temperance movement was
born.
The “Problem”
• Around 1830 the average American that was 13 or
older consumed about 30 gallons of regular liquor
and 9 gallons of hard liquor a year
• Alcohol was common place. laborers often took
part in a lively saloon which encouraged
masculine comradery and alcohol consumption
• On a regular basis before 1820 colleges would
serve a pint of ale with every meal to students
• The Elite would commonly have an “after-dinner
whiskey or sherry”
Some information
• Organized opposition to alcohol prominently
surfaced in the 1810s
• In 1826 a Connecticut minister named Lyman
Beecher stated that alcohol paved the way to
crime, poverty, family violence, and Idleness
• Millions of Americans took a pledge of
temperance, and many became involved in
efforts to end prostitution
• By 1833 the American Temperance Society
boasted more than a million members, and at the
time that was huge
Who were its leaders? What where its
motivations?
•
The Second Great Awakening: As the second great awakening swept across the U.S., its
Ideals of sobriety and hard work fueled the temperance movement. Alcohol was viewed as a
vile substance that would convert ordinary men to a life of sin and apathy. Preachers
composed a vast number of the leaders of the early movement.
*Artist’s rendition
Turning water into wine would have
been a handy prohibition era skill.
Who were its leaders? What where its
motivations?
•
Women's rights activists: Many women became involved in the temperance
movement often because of the problems alcohol caused in the household ,
particularly in the hands of abusive alcoholic husbands.
Prominent example include:
--Mary Hunt
- - Carrie Nation (infamous for her use of a hatchet to smash
barrels in saloons)
--Lucy Webb Hayes
--Susan B. Anthony
--Frances Willard
--Matilda Bradley Carse
--Annie Wittenmyer
Who were its leaders? What where its
motivations?
•
•
The temperance movement was often linked to hostile racial and religious undertones. Heavy
alcohol use was associated with Catholics from Ireland and other parts of Europe. Many Early
supporters did so in order to suppress these Immigrants.
Racial and religiously motivated groups associated with the movement include many religious
organizations and preachers empowered by the second great awakening, but also includes
several purely anti immigration groups such as the Klu Klux Klan.
Typical Irish catholic stereotype
Organization
• Several Organizations formed under the Temperance
Movement, two prominent ones include: The American
Temperance Society, and the Cold Water Army.
• The American Temperance Society was formed by
Lyman Beecher (who was mentioned earlier), and had
a general campaign and advocated to everyone.
• The Cold Water Army was formed by Reverend Thomas
Hunt, his campaign primarily focused on children and
advocated abstinence. He figured that prevention was
the best cure
How widespread was the
temperance movement?
How widespread was the temperance
movement?
•
Temperance ideas where not by any means confined to the untied states, many countries across the world
adopted temperance policies throughout history, many clustered in the late 1800s as in the U.S.
•
Prominent examples include Australia, Canada, Ireland (I know, I was surprised too), New Zealand, Sri
Lanka and Britain.
How widespread was the
temperance movement?
The temperance movement spread quickly across the nation following the
second great awakening, soon gaining support nationwide. While some
areas carried less prevalent views and tolerance, temperance became a
nationwide phenomenon.
The Effect
• Made a sizable impact on alcohol
consumption:
• Consumption diminished to one quarter of the
per capita consumption of 1830 (the
ridiculously large amount)
• Main became the first state to ban the
manufacture and sale of all alcoholic
beverages.
Cold Water Army Pledge Coin
•
While initially Temperance policies managed to curb alcohol consumption it also exacerbated class
conflicts as cheap liquor (ex. Whiskey) prevalent among the lower classes was primarily targeted, while
alcoholic beverage consumed by the elites (ex. Wine) was left relatively unaffected.
The 99%
•
By the time temperance Ideas led to prohibition, many more serious problems began to occur. Because
the consumption of alcohol was so deeply ingrained in our culture, prohibition did not stop alcohol
consumption on any considerable scale, It merely forced the alcohol business underground. Cities filled
with hidden saloons, many of which where tolerated by the police. Many enterprising individuals built
home stills and brewed their own alcoholic beverages for sale on the black market and personal
consumption.
Moonshine stills: the meth labs of the early 19th century
•
Soon as massive demand caused the price of alcohol to rise, organized crime overtook the role of
distributing this valuable commodity. Alcohol smuggling and production became a violent and highly
profitable enterprise, funneling massive amounts of cash into gangs and smugglers.
=
1920s
1990s
*artists rendition
•
Overall, rather than stemming alcohol use temperance/prohibition legislation merely created a highly
lucrative and violent underground business empire.
BONUS PAGE: the evolution of gangs in America
1920s
1990s
2011
http://law.jrank.org/pages/10714/Temperance-Movement.html
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-828
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/586530/temperance-movement
Tindall, George. Shi, David. America (a narrative history). New
York. W. W. Norton & Company 2010. Print
Roark, James, Michael Johnson, Patricia Cohen, Sarah Stage,
Alan Lawson, Susan Hartmann. The American Promise. Boston.
2009. Bedford/ St. Martin’s.