What Was The Temperance Movement?

The temperance movement was the long-lasting social reform that attempted to eliminate or reduce (usually the latter) the consumption of alcohol in America. Some people of Anglo-Saxon heritage who supported the movement associated alcohol with the growing number of Catholic immigrants from Ireland and Europe. They also believed the Catholics had become loud and boisterous due to the effects of alochol. During the Temperance Movement, groups such as the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and the anti-saloon league would frequently speak publicly in favour of laws banning alcohol and lobbied elected officials for those laws. Some of the more active members in such groups would even go to saloons and liquor stores to disrupt business by breaking furniture or wine bottles. Short stories and books published in the 19th century described the abuse families of drunkards suffered in detail. Some advocates believed that there should be complete abstinence from alcohol while the majority thought that only strong alcohol should be banned, which caused a split in supporters. Although it lacked cohesion, the Temperance Movement resulted in some legislative reforms. Maine became the first state to officially make a law banning alcohol consumption in 1846 and 12 other states soon followed suit. However, the laws did not last long as public support for those laws quickly declined, and by 1868 Maine was the only state with laws prohibiting the consumption of alcohol.

What Caused the Temperance Movement?

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In the early nineteenth century, America was facing various difficulties, regarding social, economic, and political issues. By then, America had already started to become more and more industrialized, which meant that America was incrementally catching up with other nations of the world, specifically Britain. As America began to become more industrialized, urbanization became popular. However, urban areas were usually overcrowded and lacked sanity; consequently, many Americans were not able to make enough money to reach a decent living standard. Job competitions, long work hours, low wages, and all sorts of social and economic issues tended to stress the average American. In order to temporarily free themselves from the pains of life, many Americans began to consume alcoholic beverages. Alcohol consumption proved to be a devastating supplement to the already rising social issues during the nineteenth century.  The amount of alcoholic beverages consumed per person was during this time, the highest throughout all of America's history. When a nation has too much people drinking frequently, the efficiency of the economy becomes severely crippled. Drunken men brought terrible aftermaths to their families and also to themselves. Drunkards tend to lose control of themselves and become unconscious; consequently, they may lose temper easily and commit violence. Furthermore, drunken men do not work efficiently at all. When you don't show up for work, how efficient can you be? This became a severe problem for businesses who were dependent on capital labor. The issue of alcohol became paramount to the growth of America, as it led to violence in public, women and children abuse, and contributed to the regression of the American nation. Most men in the poorer classes were known to spend their money buying alcohol at saloons leaving nothing for the women and children to spend for daily necessities, and as marriage equaled to survival for women, most advocates of the Temperance Movement were female. 

Support For The Temperance Movement

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The straightforward support for the temperance movement came from the people. People were being affected by the absurd drinking habits of the Americans. Some were concerned of the well being of those who drank, and others were negatively impacted by them. One of the most powerful methods that obtained the support from the people was the identification of negative impacts on health. Dr. Benjamin Rush's “The Moral Thermometer” was one of the earliest and most popular printed works of the movement that warned alcohol consumers of what awaited intemperance.  The Moral Thermometer portrays the devastating impacts of the over-consumption of alcohol, including vices, diseases, and punishments. Ultimately speaking, the lack of alcohol moderation would cause health degradation starting with constant vomiting and bad headaches, and eventually reaching to the point of madness or death; simultaneously, extensive drinking also led to aggressive and unrighteous behaviors. 

Religion played a vital role in supporting the temperance movement. Preachers and ministers claimed that drinking alcohol was a transgression, and that if they were to indulge themselves with such beverages, the drinkers no longer followed their religion. Some temperance activists, in order to maximize the effect, attributed a fearful effect on alcohol by associating it with diabolical creatures. This fear prevented many religious affiliates from consuming alcohol.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Consequences Of The Temperance Movement

The temperance movement was perhaps the longest social reform throughout the course of American history. Though the movement itself may have seemed to succeed and fail at the same time, yet ultimately, alcohol consumption was reduced and by the late nineteenth century, it was evident that there was a vast improvement over American drinking habits. Because women were usually the main victims of excessive alcoholic drinking, thus many became advocates of the temperance movement; some even formed organizations such as that of the Women's Christian Temperance Union. Women participation in the temperance movement set a precedent over the issue of women's rights, another major social problem. Furthermore, some temperance advocates such as Abraham Lincoln, put the issue of alcohol on the same scale as slavery: "The victory shall be complete - when there shall be neither a slave nor a drunkard on the earth."
The Eighteenth Amendment outlawed the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages one year after the ratification of the Constitution. Support for the temperance movement became evanescent and soon the Twenty-First Amendment legalized light wine and beer consumption. Whilst the Eighteenth Amendment was still valid, the urbanized part of America became chaotic. When the government issued the banning of alcohol, brewers and distillers who manufactured or refined alcoholic beverages and those who participated in the trading, buying, or selling of alcoholic beverages were crucially affected. Many lost their jobs and had to find a new living, while others had to seek elsewhere for the temporary pleasure and consolation alcohol once provided. Due to the magnitude of alcoholic addiction, alcoholics were extremely outraged and as a result, violent and organized crime soared.  The demand for alcoholic beverages led to smuggling and underground drinking, similar to that of drugs today. Bootlegging became extremely profitable, and as a result, the economy of America became disrupted. Figures such as Al Capone appeared, though they were famous for illegal activities.


Bibliography: http://www.librarycompany.org/ardentspirits/index.htm
http://law.jrank.org/pages/10714/Temperance-Movement.html
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-temperance-movement.
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Pictures taken from:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/The_Drunkard's_Progress_-_B&W.jpg , http://coffeeblackandcigarettes.wordpress.com/page/23/ , http://www.celebrateboston.com/movement/temperance.htm , http://www.librarycompany.org/ArdentSpirits/Temperance-intro.html , http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/96742236/Hulton-Archive