Category: Temperance

Women and Temperance: Essential for Establishing Prohibition

women and temperance

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 …

Read more

Martha Washingtonians: Ladies’ Temperance Benevolent Society

Martha Washingtonians

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. …

Read more

The Sheppard Bone-Dry Act: DC Prohibition Act

Sheppard Bone-Dry Act

The Sheppard Bone-Dry Act was also called the DC Prohibition Act. Officially, it was this. “An Act to prevent the manufacture and sale of alcoholic liquors in the District of Columbia and for other purposes.” The “for other purposes” refers to exceptions, penalties, and other matters. It was sponsored by Sen. Morris Sheppard in early …

Read more

Morris Sheppard and Prohibition: “The Driest of the Dry”

Morris Sheppard and prohibition

John Morris Sheppard and prohibition were very closely linked. Sheppard became an ardent advocate of banning alcohol beverage sales. And he did so fairly early in his political career. He was in Congress from 1901 until his death in 1941. Sheppard served first as a representative and then as a senator. He was a progressive …

Read more

Independent Order of Good Samaritans & Daughters of Samaria

Order of Good Samaritans

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 of …

Read more

Daughters of Temperance & Original Daughters of Temperance

Susan B. Anthony

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 …

Read more

Dietary Guidelines: Temperance Dogma Doesn’t Belong

underreport alcohol

Government dietary guidelines must be be reasonable and based on science. Imagine you’re at a friend’s party. You finish nursing your first beer and casually reach for a second. Everyone stops and stares. Your friends start whispering to themselves. They wonder if they should stage an intervention. Ridiculous and unjustified, right? Wrong! At least according …

Read more

Mississippi is a Dry State Although Very Slowly Changing

Mississippi is a dry state

Mississippi Mississippi was a dry state long before National Prohibition began in 1920. And it was also the first state to ratify National Prohibition. Upon Repeal in 1933, it kept its own state-wide prohibition. Later, it “reaffirmed prohibition.” Thus Mississippi has a very long and strong temperance tradition.  But local governments do have local option. That is, …

Read more

Purley Baker (Prohibition Leader & Anti-Saloon League Head)

Anti-Saloon League

Purley Baker was a leading temperance and Prohibition leader. He was born in Ohio in 1858 and died in 1924nduring National Prohibition (1920-1933). Prohibition was part of the Progressive Movement. Anti-Saloon League Rev. Baker was an ordained Methodist minister. He became well-known for strongly opposing alcohol and saloons. Perhaps because of that fact, Howard Hyde …

Read more

Temperance Magazines (Temperance Journals or Periodicals)

temperance magzines

Many organizations published temperance magazines or journals. This listing includes most of those. However, it does not include annual reports, minutes, proceedings, or yearbooks.    Overview of Temperance Magazines I.   Geographic List II.  Alphabetical List III. Resources After each temperance magazine is when available, the place of publication, the sponsoring organization, and the dates …

Read more