The US had the Anti-Saloon League. And Canada its Dominion Alliance. To be more specific, the Dominion Alliance for the Total Suppression of the Liquor Traffic. The temperance movement began in Canada in the early nineteenth century. It was largely local. And it began in the eastern provinces. The movement began slowly. But it gradually …
Women and temperance were closely linked. The temperance movement relied heavily on their enthusiastic support. And they were essential to the establishment of National Prohibition (1920-1933). OVERVIEW I. Martha Washingtonians II. Daughters of Temperance III. Woman’s New …
People tended to call the the Ladies’ Temperance Benevolent Society the Martha Washingtonians. It rolls off the tongue so much easier. Six temperance activists, not all women, formed the Martha Washingtonians in New York City. They did so on May 12, 1841. Although not all of the organizers were women, only women could be members. …
Temperance activists formed the Independent Order of Good Samaritans in New York City in 1847. It admitted African Americans to membership. Thus, it was the first fraternal group in the US “to recognize the humanity in man, no matter what his color.” The next year the Order admitted women. Then it became the Independent Order …
The Daughters of Temperance was formed as a result of the Sons of Temperance. But not as one might suspect. Read on to discover the real reason. Sons of Temperance As a young woman, Susan B. Anthony joined a temperance society. It was the Daughters Union. That was an auxiliary of the Sons of Temperance. In …
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) was founded in 1980 to reduce drunk driving, but the group has become neo-prohibitionist, and a self-serving bureaucracy.
Almost everyone has heard that alcoholism and denial are related. And probably everyone has heard the old “Have you stopped beating your wife” trick question. Answering either yes or no damns the respondent. Similarly, the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) 12-step program also supports a “heads I win, tails you lose” trick question. Question: “Are you alcoholic?” …
Frank Ward has lived in Sweden for decades. He has seen the the Swedish experience with alcohol up close. Here he reflects on the changes he has witnessed over time.1 He points out that “During my lifetime I have followed one nation’s progress from near-prohibition to a more tolerant approach. When I arrived in Stockholm in …
Here is a list of what appear to be grassroots groups against underage drinking. In fact, all of these groups were formed and supported by the temperance-oriented Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. They’re part of its nation-wide program to influence alcohol policy. And to do it at both the state and federal levels. Pennsylvanians Against Underage …
You really do have personal power over alcohol. But AA teaches that we don’t. And those who believe it really do have less power as a result. It’s a self-fulfilling prophesy. Yet remember that you do have power over it. Here’s proof. A federal agency (NIAAA) conducted nation-wide research. It looked only at people who …
