What is... Prohibition and the Temperance Movement in the Progressive Era?

 With all the chaos the Progressive Era brought, many sought alcohol as a coping tool. This at first was not too much of an issue, but as more and more people became dependent on alcohol, things got more serious.


According to PBS's article titled "Roots of Prohibition":

"The average American over 15 years old consumed nearly seven gallons of pure alcohol a year – three times as much as we drink today – and alcohol abuse (primarily by men) was wreaking havoc on the lives of many, particularly in an age when women had few legal rights and were utterly dependent on their husbands for sustenance and support."

This quote shows how deep alcohol was affecting society during the Progressive Era because it points out that even children were becoming victim to it. Furthermore, the article points out that it was destroying families. As mentioned in a previous blog post where we discussed women's suffrage and the fight for independence, women started off as dependents. Specifically, women depended on men for income and protection. So what happens when the source of income is not able to work or if the one who is supposed to protect is causing harm himself? These were the questions that many women began to ask as they started to see more poverty and domestic abuse as the use of alcohol increased. This led to the growth of the Temperance Movement, protests, and the formation of women-led organizations.

The Temperance Movement first started by Protestant churches looking to teach others of the sinfulness of alcohol, but they later needed to intensify their message to prohibit alcohol. Another group that worked in support of prohibition of alcohol includes the Women's Christian Temperance Union. These women grouped together to fight against alcohol because of the destruction it was causing to their family. They lobbied to prohibit alcohol locally and campaigned to start alcohol educational programs for schools. And these efforts worked, because the day finally came when alcohol was officially banned locally - although this did not become national or remain for too long.



New York City Deputy Police Commissioner John A. Leach (right) watching agents pour liquor into the sewer following a raid, c. 1920. New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (neg. no. LC-USZ62-123257)



Woman chasing after man selling alcohol. n.d. Roots of Prohibition.
https://d1z5o5vuzqe9y4.cloudfront.net/uploads/S6470_original.jpg.

 
A protest against Prohibition in New York. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. https://www.britannica.com/event/Prohibition-United-States-history-1920-1933#/media/1/478412/147196

"Temperance illustration of drunkard hitting his wifeTemperance illustration of drunkard hitting his wife. n.d. File:TemperancePropaganda.Jpg. http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/prohibition/photos/#page=3. "



Bibliography

“Prohibition.” PBS. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/prohibition/roots-of-prohibition.

New York City Deputy Police Commissioner John A. Leach (right) watching agents pour liquor into the sewer following a raid, c. 1920. New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (neg. no. LC-USZ62-123257)

Woman chasing after man selling alcohol. n.d. Roots of Prohibition.
https://d1z5o5vuzqe9y4.cloudfront.net/uploads/S6470_original.jpg.

A protest against Prohibition in New York. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. https://www.britannica.com/event/Prohibition-United-States-history-1920-1933#/media/1/478412/147196

"Temperance illustration of drunkard hitting his wifeTemperance illustration of drunkard hitting his wife. n.d. File:TemperancePropaganda.Jpg. http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/prohibition/photos/#page=3. "

 

 

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