The story of temperance in America begins in 1630 and continues down to today. The temperance movement has had its highs and lows. From the highest mountain to the deepest valley. Its had its great triumph and tragic heartbreaks. Even the term temperance itself has had a strange history. It began with the clear meaning […]

It was the eve of the 20th century. The temperance movement had morphed into the prohibition movement. The history of prohibition in the US can be traced back to the Colonial period. But it began largely as a temperance movement. It called for temperance or moderation. Only later did it begin to call for complete […]

The U.S. Civil War (1861-1865) and its immediate aftermath diverted attention to more pressing matters. This disrupted the growth of temperance work. And the work was essentially destroyed in the South. The massive rebuilding needed there inhibited growth of the movement for years. However, by 1870, concerns about temperance again largely returned. The successes and […]

The temperance movement began as a smoldering fire. Then it became a bonfire. During the 20th century it grew into a rageing forest fire. It finally led  to Prohibition in America. At first, local areas and a few states voted for their own prohibition. But the pace quickened early in the 20th century. By the […]

Repeal in America occurred on December 5, 1933. This timeline covers major events in its history. The timeline continues up to the present day. Achieving National Prohibition had been a Herculean effort. Millions of people had finally been convinced that Prohibition would usher in a new era. Crime would drop, Poverty would drop. Violence would […]

The emergence of temperance was slow. As time passed, temperance activists became frustrated. Drinkers were not cutting back enough. Nor were enough becoming teetotalers. Persuasion had its limits. Increasingly, temperance activists came to believe that people should be prohibited from drinking. That the police power of the state should be used to stop them. That […]

Temperance Movement Began Slowly The beginnings of temperance in America started very slowly. And they began modestly. Temperance meant drinking temperately or moderately. Temperance proponents might urge people not to drink too much. They might urge them to reduce the quantity and/or frequency of their drinking. But most often, they would encourage them to drink […]

Eliza Thompson became active in leading groups of women to saloons to close them down. It occurred in 1873 after she and others heard a lecture by Dr. Dio Lewis. Eliza Thompson’s Method  “Dr. Lewis had suggested that women should organize to protest against saloons and to pray for the bars’ closing. Thompson took Lewis’s […]

P.T. Barnum, of Barnum & Bailey Circus fame, wrote that he was a drinking person until about the age of 40. “Then, I saw so much intoxication among men of wealth, filling the highest positions in society, that I began to ask myself the question ‘What guarantee is there that I may not become a […]

The women leaders of temperance and prohibition worked hard to promote their vision of a better world. I. Background: Women Leaders of Temperance The temperance movement began before women the right to vote. But it gave opportunities to develop leadership skills, political savvy, organizational skills, and experience promoting public policy. It also gave public speaking […]