History Essay: Temperance Movement, Women's Suffrage, and Politics

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of the 19th-century Temperance Movement in the United States, exploring its historical roots, evolution, and connections to various social and political issues. The essay examines the movement's origins as a response to widespread alcohol consumption, particularly among women, and its transformation into a broader social reform movement. It discusses the movement's relationship with women's suffrage, race relations, immigration, and the urban-rural divide. Furthermore, the essay analyzes the political strategies employed by the movement, the implementation of Prohibition, and its effects on society, including the rise of crime and unintended consequences. The essay concludes by assessing the reasons for the failure of Prohibition and its lasting impact on American culture and policy, highlighting its significance in shaping attitudes towards alcohol and social reform.

Running head: HISTORY
History
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note

1HISTORY
The temperance movement that emerged in the nineteenth century gained a lot of grounds
in the national as well as in the international level. It was a protest that started as a resistance to
the widespread inebriation of the Americans which was considered a normal act in their culture.
The movement initially started on behalf of the women who became increasingly aware of the
demoralization and deterioration of their present condition initiated by the intoxication of men.
Moreover, there was a rise in the crime, death, and diseases rate believed to be caused by
excessive alcohol usage. Soon, the protest movement crossed the local threshold and transformed
to a mass movement in that particular era. In this essay, the temperance movement will be
analyzed in detail, along with the various consequences that followed. The prohibition issue also
led to certain other aspects like women suffrage, race, immigration, etc. that will be discussed in
the following sections.
Analyzing the background of the movement, it can be found that the colonial America
had drinking embedded in its culture. However, it was the bourgeois class who were against the
idea of overindulgence that was practiced among the lower class of the society. The affordability
of the drinks was also a major concern which was relatively cheaper than most of the drinks,
even tea. The industrial revolution led to the introduction of heavy machineries that demanded
workers to be physically fit to run. The drunkenness of people hampered the people from
carrying out the operation seamlessly. In addition to that, it soon attracted the Calvinist clergy,
intellectuals, reformers, priests and people from all strata to participate in this movement.
Therefore, the movement that started from the households, especially by women to protest
against their daily disorder, became a cause of national interest. Following the events, various
other temperance society began to be formed in the various parts of the country and therefore,
the movement gained its momentum. Orkent, in his book Last Call, drew several pictures from

2HISTORY
the nineteenth century that portrays the prohibition issue and the consequences through which
the society went.
The movement which started as an amateur movement excessive consumption of alcohol,
soon began to spread rapidly that also raised questions against various other social evils like
slavery, ill treatment of marginalized people, etc. The association of intellectuals, and other
people from all the strata gave grounds to discussion of various events in the context of
eliminating social evils. Therefore, it eventually came to be known as the Reform era, which
looked into the aspect of all the humanitarian causes.
The Washingtonian movement that emerged in the 1840s, believed in the abstinence
without involving religion in it. They also believed in the act of sympathy rather than imposing
the law of abstinence on any person. Their act were more justified as they did not ostracized
drinkers, and tried to help them in their abstinence. However, this movement soon came to an
end due to the revival of the Evangelical reformers who criticized the movement for not
considering alcoholics as sinners. It was also deemed as unsuccessful because the men involved
in the movement went back to drinking. Despite its unsuccessful endeavor, it left its mark as
more societies came in the forefront who believed in philanthropic approach towards abstinence.
In addition to that, the Gospel temperance flourished in the mid-1850s. It also believed in
sympathetic approach rather than coercing on the drinkers. Various meetings were conducted
and it differed from that of the Washingtonians for the association with religions. This movement
soon began to get associated with other movement including the abolitionist and the women’s
suffrage movement. The Victorian period was particularly worth mentioning as the movement
turned to become political in nature. They became more rigid towards the abolition of alcohol of
all kinds and came to be the advocator of teetotalism which earned them the name “drys”.

3HISTORY
Following this movement, another society came into existence known as Band of hopes who
came to consider the children of the working class to keep them away from drinking. They began
to teach them the importance of sobriety and were successful in many ways. The curtailment of
the alcohol began to be effective and consumption fell by almost 50% of what it was before.
Slowly more groups started to form with other objectives that included protest against urban
growth, domestic violence.
In essence to the women’s suffrage movement, the temperance movement felt the need to
give the women the right to vote. It was the first time when the women of the society began to
vote against alcohol consumption which rapidly became an active movement. Therefore, the
movement slowly earned its versatility and thereby became one of the successful movements of
the era.
The taxation of alcohol was another important aspect that came into force as a result of
the widespread protest. It can also be said that it came as an opportunity and thereby patriotic
arguments were put in forth to enforce taxation on liquor. It also came as a deterrent to the heavy
alcohol user, thereby cutting the alcohol consumption rate.
The temperance movement had also a notable history on racism. The Good Templars
which was another fraternity organization of the movement came to existence on the mid 1800s.
It became very popular among the workers aged between 30s. However, the concept of
universalism on which it was founded soon began to erode and many of the members started
denying the participation of Black Americans. Eventually, it was divided into two groups and
thereby resulted in the loss of its stature as universalism.

4HISTORY
The temperance movement also had an impact on the immigrants. At that time, the
immigrants were known to be the advocator of alcohol consumption. Though many of them
embraced the concept of temperance, either to be more Americanized or due to the idea of it.
However, the temperance movement was also formed due to the intemperance of the immigrants
in the nineteenth century. The 18th Amendment also caused major conflicts among the urban and
rural people due to the prohibition that came upon alcohol. The middle class especially in the
rural areas protested against the ban. In the later parts, it can be seen that the middle class
belonging from the rural areas won the war against the ban on alcohol.
The political strategy of the temperance movement was something that cannot be
ignored. The Anti-saloon parties was the hub of political infiltration that gained a significant
impact on the history of the United States. The strategies that were taken in respect to the
drinking habits was somehow necessary considering the society which was getting more inclined
towards unrestricted drinking. The temperance movement had a significant role in the formation
of the alcohol laws that has still an effect on the drinking practice of the people. Though the
prohibition on alcohol was a preposterous idea that came to be ratified due to its backlash, it
certainly made people aware about the excessive intake of alcohol. It began to be seen as the
force that changed the entire drinking culture of the society. It also helped in the introduction of
the legislations and the licensing laws that were necessary in the context of the drinking scenario.
The local democratic involvement also provided many opportunities and influenced the local
level issues related to alcohol.
The implementation of prohibition of alcohol did not gain its grounds due to the cropping
up of several issues. The entire idea of prohibition came as a backlash in the society. At the

5HISTORY
initial stages of the prohibition, there was a decline in the alcohol consumption. However, in the
later period it increased sharply that showed the opposite effect of prohibition. Moreover, there
was also an increase in the crime rates especially murder which came to be of serious
consequences. Additionally, under world activities increased that gave rise to several criminals
and gangsters operating on the local level. It also caused rampant corruption even in the official
levels. The prohibition of alcohol also led the drinkers switch to other drugs like marijuana,
opium and other artificial drugs. As a result, the prohibition failed miserably thereby
overhauling the amendment.
In essence of the temperance movement that came as a severe implication on the society
of America, it can be concluded that the country has experienced with a seemingly noble
experiment that backfired. Though it failed significantly, it helped in regaining focus on some of
the major issues of the then societal condition. Women empowerment was one of the notable
incidents that got initiated as its aftermath. It also led to paving the way for women suffrage
movement thereby helping the suppressed gender gain its foothold. Furthermore, the prohibition
which came as an aftermath of temperance has also a significant place in the historical context
since it showed the entire humanity that prohibition cannot be a solution. Moreover, it can have
an opposite effect on the human behavior. The temperance movement has therefore a bigger
impact on the entire culture which still carries its essence even in the 21st century.

6HISTORY
References
Okrent, Daniel. Last call: The rise and fall of prohibition. Simon and Schuster, 2010.