The desire to control alcohol consumption, or advocate temperance, has been a goal of humanity throughout countless periods of history. Many countries have had organized temperance movements, including Australia, Canada, Britain, Denmark, Poland, and of course, the United States. The American temperance movement was the most widespread reform movement of the 19th century, culminating in laws that completely banned the sale of all alcoholic beverages. The movement progressed from its humble local roots to nationwide organizations with millions of members and large amounts of political power. The growth of the temperance movement resulted from the changes in society between the original American settlers and the post-Revolutionary War citizens. The Revolutionary War is the catalyst for the movement, and the new society that emerges out of it is the cause of the development of the American temperance movement. If one was to look at colonial America with no knowledge of the future, the thought of millions of people promoting alcohol regulation and abstinence would be unimaginable. As hard as it is to assign general characteristics to colonial America, it is clearly evident that alcoholic beverages were extensive in consumption, to the point where they were among the main forms of liquid nourishment. It was so extensive that "Estimates for 1790, at the end of the colonial period, place per capita consumption of absolute alcohol (the alcohol content of alcoholic beverages) at three gallons, about one and a half times the amount of per capita consumption in the United States today. Despite staggering consumption rate, the relatively high level of per capita consumption failed to produce widespread concern about drinking. The ... ... middle of paper ... ...e years between Colonial America and Post-Revolutionary United States changed American society greatly, especially in the attitude towards alcohol. The temperance movement took advantage of these changes, and spread throughout the states rapidly. The movement became one of the largest reform movements in history, changing the lives of millions of Americans and altering the course of American history from that point forward. Bibliography American Temperance Society. "Permanent Temperance Documents of the American Temperance Society". New York, Arno Press, 1972. Blocker, Jack S. "American Temperance Movements: Cycles of Reform". Boston : Twayne Publishers, c1989 Ezell, Marcel D. "Early Attitudes toward Alcoholic Beverages in the South" Red River Valley Historical Review 7, 1982. Nott, Eliphalet. "Lectures on Temperance". New York : Sheldon, Blakeman, 1857
Enacting prohibition in a culture so immersed in alcohol as America was not easy. American had long been a nation of strong social drinkers with a strong feeling towards personal freedom. As Okrent remarks, “George Washington had a still on his farm. James Madison downed a pint of whiskey a day”. This was an era when drinking liquor on ships was far safer than the stale scummy water aboard, and it was common fo...
During these times, domestic violence was commonplace and many blamed alcohol as the culprit. Reformers also noticed that alcohol decreased efficiency of labor and thought of alcohol as a menace to society because it left men irresponsible and lacking self control. One reformer, named Lyman Beecher, argued that the act of alcohol consumption was immoral and will destroy the nation. Document H depicts the progression of becoming a drunkard from a common m...
One of the leading proponents of this philosophy was/were the millenarist (plural?). They believed that the closing stages of the world were unfolding. Thus, the Millernarts believed that their savior Jesus Christ comes back as predicted in Revelations. They thought that ridding the world of alcohol was necessary for their saviors return. They used the Temperance Movement as a means to achieve their ultimate goal—social salvation. The Temperance Movement was not just about abstaining from alcohol, but it was all about religion. In fact, the movement had a positive correlation with religion; which, meaning that when religious fever increases so does the popularity of temperance movement (Citation needed). In ess...
Although the temperance movement was concerned with the habitual drunk, its primary goal was total abstinence and the elimination of liquor. With the ratification of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, the well-organized and powerful political organizations, utilizing no holds barred political tactics, successfully accomplished their goal. Prohibition became the law of the land on January 16, 1920; the manufacturing, importation, and sale of alcohol was no longer legal in the United States. Through prohibition, America embarked on what became labeled “the Nobel Experiment.” However, instead of having social redeeming values as ordained, prohibition had the opposite effect of its intended purpose, becoming a catastrophic failure.
During the Second Great Awakening, a mass revival of American society took place. Reformers of every kind emerged to ameliorate women’s rights, education, and religious righteousness. At the forefront of the movement were the temperance reformers who fought for a change in alcoholism, and abolitionists who strived for the downfall of slavery. Temperance reformers were mostly women and religious leaders. Lyman Beecher, a well known preacher and temperance leader during this time, talked about how intemperance was destroying our nation.
“By 1830, the average American over 15 years old consumed nearly seven gallons of pure alcohol a year – three times as much as we drink today – and alcohol abuse (primarily by men) was wreaking havoc on the lives of many.” In the 1800s millions of Americans took a pledge to refrain from drinking alcohol. This was known as the Temperance Movement. The temperance movement was a reaction to the increase of alcohol consumption throughout the nation. The opposition to drinking originally stemmed from heath and religious reformers. These groups were crucial to American society for their efforts to tighten social controls. During this era, there were multiple citizens who believed some individuals were living unethically. “These people feared that God would no longer bless the United States and that these ungodly and unscrupulous people posed a threat to America's political system. To survive, the American republic, these people believed, needed virtuous citizens.” Due to these
Many may say that the Antebellum Temperance Movement was primarily motivated by religious moralism. I tend to take that stance as well. The Antebellum Temperance Movement of the 18th century was focused around the idea that people, mostly men, should abstain from alcohol if they could not drink the spirits in moderation. In this era, many women had suffered greatly because their loved ones would imbibe excessively leaving them short on money, food, and even shelter which left many impoverished and unable to care for their families. Additionally, the excessive consumption of alcohol led to health care issues, crime and in the end, destitution. The first author, W.J. Rorabaugh, is a proponent on the side of how Christian ministers, “portrayed liquor as the tool of the devil and develop temperance societies as socialization institutions to ease social tensions and anxieties that contributed to alcohol consumption,” (Madaras, L.; SoRelle, J. Pg. 256) Appositionally, John J. Rumbarger opposes by stating that, “the nineteenth–century temperance reform was the product of the pro-capitalist market economy whose entrepreneurial elite led the way toward abstinence and prohibitionist campaigns. In order to guarantee the availability for a more productive workforce,” (Madaras, L.; SoRelle, J. Pg. 256). I agree with W.J. Rorabaugh that during the Antebellum Temperance Movement, the church’s played an enormous role in prohibiting alcohol consumption because it was the “tool of the devil”.
"Temperance & Prohibition." Table of Contents | Temperance & Prohibition. Ohio State University, n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.
Fahey, D. (2013, August 30). Temperance Movement. New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved April 19, 2014, from http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/temperance-movement
Prohibition originated in the nineteenth century but fully gained recognition in the twentieth century. The Prohibition was originally known as the Temperance Movement. In the 1820s and 1830s, a wave of religious revivalism developed in the United States, leading to increased calls for temperance, as well as other reform movements such as the abolition of slavery (“Prohibition”). These reforms were often led by middle class women. The abolition of slavery became a more important topic of debate until after the Civil War. By the turn of the century, temperance societies were a common thing throughout the communities in the United States (“Prohibition”). Women advocated the unity of the family, and they believed alcohol prevented such a thing. Drunken husbands only brought about negativity to the home, and women could not support that behavior. Suffragists, in their pursuit for voting rights, also sought to eliminate alcohol from the home. Small-scale legislation had been passed in several states, but no national laws had been enacted. On January 29, 1919, the Eighteenth Amendment was ratified by Congress; it banned t...
In the 19th century alcohol consumption rocketed and Americans drank “more than five gallons of pure alcohol per person per year“ (Carlson par. 20). Historian W.J. Rorabaugh in his 1979 book, The Alcoholic Republic, wrote “Americans drank at home and abroad, alone and together, at work and at play. They drank before meals, with meals and after meals. They drank while working in the fields and while traveling across half a continent." (qtd. in Carlson par. 20).
The temperance movement at the time used a minimum drinking age to gradually bring about the ban of alcohol altogether. In 1919 the temperance movement got what they wanted and the 18th Amendment was created banning the sale of alcohol in America. This ultimately failed, resulting in increased gang violence and bootlegging. In 1933, due to a change of public opinion, the ban was lifted with what is called the 21st Amendment. After prohibition, what was left of the temperance movement was to make sure that a minimum drinking age remained.
Prohibition created a great deal of problems in America even though it was trying to correct one. Prohibition was not widely supported by many people. Prohibition led to many changes in our country. Some were bad and some were good. The effects on America were mostly bad. The good effects included no one could drink and it could try and contain the effects of being drunk. Prohibition also kept many people out of trouble with the law. Puritans believed that alcohol had a terrible effect on people and that is why they supported prohibition. Prohibition was the start of a “dry” era and led to many people staying sober and not drinking alcohol at all. This was a good effect on those people and their lives. They were more focused on their lives and tried to stay healthy, by not drinking. This was not true f...
The prohibition on alcohol seemed to achieve more success than the temperance movement of the previous century because the prohibition was a political movement, prohibiting the manufacture, transportation and sale of alcohol. On the other hand the Temperance movement was more of a social movement against the consumption of alcoholic beverages. The temperance movement was based on opinions, people’s beliefs and even religion. The temperance movement was a temporary fix because for example, Carrie Nation started the hatchet movement, in which she and hundreds of women and some men went around to towns in Kansas and destroyed saloon after saloon. Carrie Nation hoped her movement would spread across the country and swipe away all the saloons in the country but instead it died out and saloon owners just rebuild and repaired their businesses and continued to sell alcohol. Another example is the Women’s Crusade were women across the country would pray in front of the saloons hoping the owners would shut their businesses down, but that didn’t affect the owners sell of alcohol nor the customers
Prohibition in the United States lasted about 14 years from 1920 to 1933. “Prohibition was the period in United States history in which the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquors was outlawed.” . Intoxicating liquors were beginning to ruin the lives of some Americans and it became banned. “Prohibition, members of the Temperance movement urged, would stop husbands from spending all the family income on alcohol and prevent accidents in the workplace caused by workers who drank during lunch” . Alcohol was beginning to tear families apart and some wanted to finally outlaw all of the alcohol which would make life easier. In the beginning organizations pushed moderation, but after some decades the organizations’ focus’ turned into the idea of complete prohibition . Although the idea of total prohibition was far-fetched it eventually began. The 18th amendment brought about complete prohibition to all of the United States, with this amendment prohibition in the United States was finally established.