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Temperance movement

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Drunkard's Progress (1846) by Nathaniel Currier warns that moderate drinking leads to total disaster step-by-step

The temperance movement is a social movement against the consumption of alcoholic beverages. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the temperance movement became very big in many countries. It led to Prohibition in the United States, which lasted from 1920 to 1933.

Role of Women

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The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) started from a movement against saloons and liquor stores. It began in Ohio. It spread throughout the Midwestern United States during the winter of 1873-1874. The movement had over 32,000 women who went into saloons and liquor stores. They did this to disrupt business and stop the sales of alcohol.[1] The WCTU was officially started in late November 1874 in Cleveland, Ohio.[2]

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References

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  1. Dannenbaum, Jed (1981). "The Origins of Temperance Activism and Militancy among American Women". Journal of Social History. 15 (2): 235–252. doi:10.1353/jsh/15.2.235.
  2. Gordon, Elizabeth Putnam (1924). Women Torch-Bearers: The Story of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. Buffalo, New York: National Woman's Christian Temperance Union Pub. House. p. 246.