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 * THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT **

By: Benjamin Ancona and Tyler Copeland

The consumption of alcohol among Americans increased steadily during the years following the revolutionary war. By the 1830s Americans on average were consuming 5 gallons per capita annually. The combination of this spike in alcohol consumption and the increased urbanization during the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century resulted in crime and unemployment for many Americans. There were many Americans in poverty at this time. Many Americans came to believe that the high consumption of alcohol was the main cause of America’s social problems at this time. Because so many Americans began to believe that alcohol was bad for society, the Temperance Movement began. The largest organization established to advocate temperance was the American Temperance Society. By the mid-1830s, more than 200,000 people had joined this organization. The American Temperance Society published tracts and hired speakers to depict the negative effects of alcohol upon people. Many of those who joined the Temperance Society were women, who were tired of dealing with their drunken husbands. Woman who supported the Temperance Movement were also the start of the time of woman’s rights when woman began to advocate for them and their rights more than in the past. The Civil War (1861-1865) weakened the Temperance Movement, but concerns regarding alcohol usage quickly returned upon the war's conclusion. During the late 1800s, the United States was shifting from a national economy based principally on agriculture to a more industrialized one. As a result of industrialization, many people went to live and work in the cities. Because of the high population into the cities, the poverty rate went up as well as the crime rates. Those who supported the temperance movement believed the crime rates and poverty was a result of alcohol abuse. The Temperance Movement continued through the late nineteenth century and into the early twentieth century. During this time, advocates for the Temperance movement began to gain more and more political power. They became much more politically active from the support of the Progressive Movement. Finally in 1919 the supporters of the Temperance Movement got their wish. The 18th Amendment passed which outlawed the production and the sale of alcohol in the United States.
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