A Brief History of Social Reform, The Temperance Movement
and Prohibition in the United States

by Lee McKenzie
leemck@mstar2.net

Introduction and Literature References

    A study of Prohibition and the Prohibition Party should include and examination of 19th century social reform called the "temperance movement". One very excellent contemporary treatise which is popular in public libraries is:

"Ardent Spirits The Rise and Fall of Prohibition" by John Kobler, G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1973, Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 73-78586.

This reference very nicely describes Prohibition in its historical context.

    Most modern day school text books attribute the repeal of Prohibition to the rise of gangsterism, however a careful student, by probing deeper into the subject, will find other rather surprising fundamental causes. Other references which are helpful in getting a more accurate and complete picture of what led to the repeal of prohibition include:

"The Amazing Story of Repeal", by Fletcher Dobyns, Signal Press, Evanston, Illinois 60201.

"The Wrecking of the 19th Amendment" by Ernest Gordon, The Alcohol Information Press, Francestown, New Hampshire, 1943.

    These references reveal the basis of powerful financial interests which set about to cause the repeal of prohibition. Commentaries and documented examples provide unique insights into how public opinion as well as public officials can be manipulated by powerful money interests. Lessons learned from the history of Prohibition have been useful both to those who wish to preserve public morality and genuine Constitutional rights as well as those who wish to control society for personal gain.

THE BEGINNINGS OF THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT

One of the most prevalent social problems of the 18th and 19th centuries in America was alcohol. At the end of his second Presidential term Thomas Jefferson complained: "The habit of using ardent spirits by men in public office has often produced more injury to the public service, and more trouble to me, than any other circumstance that has occurred in the internal concerns of the country during my administration. And were I to commence my administration again, with the knowledge which from experience I have acquired, the first question that I would ask with regard to every candidate for office should be, "Is he addicted to the use of ardent spirits?" (Ardent Spirits p. 33.)

Reverend Lyman Beecher

Reverend Justin Edwards

Founders of the American Temperance Society 13 February 1826

    The first reported local organization in America to encourage abstinence from alcohol was organized in New England in 1808. It was not until 1926 that two Congregationalist ministers, Reverend Justin Edwards and Reverend Lyman Beecher organized the first nationwide temperance society called The American Temperance Society. Thereafter both local, national and international temperance societies sprang up on every quarter. Some like the Washington Temperance Society did not consider temperance to be a religious issue at all while others felt compelled by God to proclaim temperance. Indeed the temperance movement was particularly strong among a variety of religious groups including Congregationalists, Baptists, Mormons, Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists, Seventh Day Adventists and others. A careful analysis of this concerted, simultaneous concern about temperance among many diverse religious faiths reveals that, not any one religion can claim to be the originator of temperance ideals. It is clearly more appropriate to give such credit to God.

    It was very rapidly recognized that the most effective weapon of temperance advocates is the personal pledge of "total abstinence. It was characteristic of all temperance societies to have pledge cards and or medals upon which were written various types of pledges to abstain from the use of alcohol. A typical pledge was as follows:

"We agree to abstain from the use of all intoxicating liquors as a beverage."

There was of course a debate about how strict one should be about keeping the pledge of abstinence as is seen in the following pledge:

"We agree to abstain from all intoxicating liquors except for medicinal purposes and religious ordinances."

    Some temperance societies were concerned that by being too strict, they would discourage many from even joining and thereby limit the influence of their society. One common practice was to have those who joined a society (or who heard a lecture and wanted to sign a pledge of abstinence) sign a book indicating their commitment. Those who signed with the intent of moderation would simply sign their name while those who were committing themselves to Total Abstinence would pace a capital "T" by their name. The "T" stood for Total or "Total Abstinence". Hence came the term "Tee Totaler" as one who has committed himself to total abstinence.

Reverend Thomas P. Hunt
Founder of The Cold Water Army

    Very early in the temperance movement a Presbyterian minister by the name of Reverend Thomas P. Hunt organized a children’s organization called "The Cold Water Army". Hunt said that if he had 100 drunkards and tried to reform them, he would be lucky to save maybe ten. However, if he had 100 children and taught them temperance from a young age, he could save 90 out of the 100. A similar children's organization sprang up in England which was called "The Band of Hope". The motto of this organization was "Prevention is better than cure."

    Education became a primary activity of many temperance societies. In general temperance societies were benevolent and kind to those who were sick from the effects of alcohol, but were intolerant of liquor sellers. Although temperance societies during this period were not political parties, they often assumed the role of lobby groups for local and state ordinances restricting the sale of alcoholic beverages. Maine became the first state to enact a state wide prohibitory liquor law in 1846. Within 4 years 11 other states and territories enacted similar laws. (Ardent Spirits p.88) Until national prohibition was enacted 16 January 1919 there was a see-saw battle in states with statewide prohibitory liquor laws being either enacted or repealed. One very excellent example in the State of New York which enacted a prohibitory liquor law in 1855 and then repealed it again in 1856.

Common slogans and saying of temperance societies were:

    The size and diversity of temperance organizations continued to grow through the 1850's but with the advent of the Civil War the attentions of most Americans was drawn away from temperance. However at the end of the Civil War in 1865 James Black organized the National Temperance Society and Publication House. During the next 60 years this organization with headquarters in New York, ground out over a billion pages of temperance literature. (Ardent Spirits p. 98)

THE FORMATION OF THE PROHIBITION PARTY  

    James Black who organized the National Temperance Society in 1865, later helped organize the Prohibition Party in 1869. James Black became the first Presidential Candidate. Two main planks of the Prohibition Party platform were:

1. National Prohibition

2. Universal Suffrage (Women's Right to Vote)

    In general the Prohibition Party was concerned about protection of home and family. Indeed one of the early, temporary names adopted by the Prohibition Party was the "Prohibition Home Protection Party." At this time women's suffrage was very closely tied to efforts of the Prohibition Party since the Democratic Party altogether rejected the concept and the Republican Party balked at it.

    For the first few national elections following the organization of the Prohibition Party, Presidential candidates of the Prohibition Party obtained only 5,000 to 15,000 votes nationwide. Then in 1884 the very polular Republican Governor of Kansas by the name of John P. St. John left the Republican Party because of its unwillingness to address the vital issues of alcohol and women's suffrage. St. John joined the Prohibition Party and became its candidate for U.S. President. In 1884 instead of obtaining the previous 5,000 to 15,000 votes the Prohibition Party won over 150,000 votes. This amount was over twice the difference between the vote for Democratic and Republican candidates. Each major party was left wondering whether it won or lost the election in 1884 because of the vote for John P. St. John of the Prohibition Party. In subsequent national elections from 1884 through 1920 the Prohibition Party consistantly obtained from 150,000 to 250,000 votes nationwide. This constant pressure in the ballot box forced the two major political parties to address issues which they otherwise would have ignored. The two main issues were of course prohibition and womens suffrage. Additional issues included topics such as the need for child labor laws.

    Although the Prohibition Party never won a national election, numerous local and state candidates of the Prohibition Party captured elected offices. This grass roots movement stands as a classic example of the value and effectiveness of 3rd parties in effecting social reform in America.

    Following the enactment of Constitutional amendments for womens suffrage and national prohibition, public interest in the Prohibition Party faded. Despite the loss of attention and support the Prohibition Party has without fail nominated a Presidential Candidate in each national election from 1872 to present. As such the Prohibition Party is the oldest 3rd party in America.

THE RELATIONSHIP OF PROHIBITION AND WOMEN'S SUFFERAGE

  In America alcohol has always been the single most significant cause of social and domestic problems. While mid to late 20^th century social programs attempt to ease the trauma which alcohol inflicts on individuals and families (at the expense of the American public), these types of remedies were seldom available in the early 20^th century and before. The effects of alcohol have always born down heavily upon families. In former times the husbands and breadwinners to families were almost exclusively those family members who indulged in alcohol. It was typically wives, mothers and children who became the innocent victims of alcohol. From early America to 1920 women had very little social mobility to obtain the gainful employment required to support families alone. A woman with an alcoholic husband could not easily secure employment sufficient to sustain a family. Thus it was that the severity of alcohol problems in America bore down most heavily upon women, motivating them to labor both for prohibition and for women’s suffrage (women’s right to vote).

In my studies of the temperance and prohibition movements, one of the most revealing statements which reveal the connection to women's sufferage was written by Carolyn E. Geisel, physician, surgeon, educator, lecturer and philanthropist. Dr. Geisel participated in the "Flying Squadron" which was a group of traveling lecturers who advocated the enactment of national prohibition. In a 1915 "Flying Squadron" lecture Dr. Geisel said the following:

"Oh, my America, will you listen to us, the motherhood of the land……Listen, I plead with you, do you not know it? You have our firstborn boys in your penitentiaries and asylums because of the licensed saloon, but we have other boys, boys in school, baby boys in the cradle,---must they go the same way? Will you continue to take our boys from our arms, grind them through your saloons into the penitentiary, and from the penitentiary into hell? It is a serious matter, it is important not only for the defense of the flag, but for the work of the Kingdom of God that something be done to save our boys from utter destruction.

You have driven us to take a firm stand these days. There is not a right-minded woman in the United States of America who would ever have dreamed of asking for the ballot if you men folk had done your duty by your own home. But you did not do it. We would rather be at home with the cradle by the fireside; we love the dear, sweet joys with which your surround us; we love the fireside and all of those things that we receive from the hands of love, but you have made this impossible, and today we are clamoring for the ballot, and some of you are astonished that we ask it. Do you think we are asking for the ballot for the sake of cleaning up politics? As near as I can make out politics is almost more than you men can clean up. No, we are asking for the ballot that we may defend our own business, and when we get the ballot you may just as well know what we will do with it. We will be true to our house-keeping instincts, we will just roll that ballot into a mop and wipe up the last inch of wet territory around about us."

Carolyn E. Geisel, Speeches of the Flying Squadron, Hanley and Stewart, Indianapolis, 1915 pp. 415-416.

Dr. Carolyn E. Geisel

THE FORCES BEHIND NATIONAL PROHIBITION

THE FORCES THAT LED TO THE REPEAL OF PROHIBITION