Temperance

Movement
What is the Temperance Movement?
● Is a social movement to limit or outlaw the consumption and
production of alcoholic beverages in the United States
● Many citizens believed that Americans were living in an immortal
manner
● Feared God will no longer bless the U.S and that these ungodly and
unethical people posed a threat to America’s political system
● The consumption of alcohol was responsible for poverty,
unemployment, absence in workplace, and physical violence
Who was involved in the Temperance Movement?
● The largest organization established to advocate temperance was the
American Temperance Society
● Published tracts and hired speakers to depict the negative effects of
alcohol upon people
● The “American Temperance Society” and The “American Union
Society”were earlier societies that helped spread the word to stop
hard drinking
● The American Temperance Society marked the beginning of the first
formal national Temperance Movement in the U.S
● Early temperance societies associated with churches
 When did the Temperance Movement happen?
● The movement began in the early 1800s
● In 1820 the U.S was covered of religious revivalism, leading calls for
temperance.
● By the mid-1830s, more than 200,000 people belonged to the American
Temperance Society.
● Massachusetts passed a temperance law banning the sale of spirits in
less than 15-gallon quantities.
● Main passed the first prohibition law in 1846.
 Where did the temperance movement start?
● The earliest temperance movement organizations were founded at
Saratoga, New York, In 1808 also in Massachusetts in 1813
● The movement was spread rapidly under the influence of the
churches
● By 1833 there were 6,000 local societies in several U.S. states
● The earliest European organizations were formed in Ireland and
began to make effective progress in 1829
● Later on the movement was spread in Norway and Sweden in 1836
and 1837
● The Worlds Women's christian Temperance union was formed in
1883
Why is the Temperance Movement important?
● The early Temperance Movement had 3 main causes which included
The second Great Awakening (christian ideals), The Industrial
Revolution (workers couldn’t be drunk on their jobs)and Nativism
(catholic immigrants)
● People became even more reliant on alcohol after the American
Revolution, which is why this movement was a solution to prevent
from the excessive drinking
● The movement combined a concern for general social ills with
religious sentiment and practical health considerations to many
middle-class reformers
Thank you for listening!