Reform Movements

In 1840, six hard-drinking friends in Baltimore swore to never drink again and established a society of reformed drunkards. The country had entered a new era of reform. Temperance movements would eventually insist on complete abstinence from all forms of alcohol. Church-based organizations embraced reform, as well as the women's suffrage movement.

During the 1800s, with the rise of whiskey and other hard liquors, alcoholism became a big problem in America.

From 1920-1933, the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution ruled the land. It prohibited the making, transportation, and sale of alcohol. The amendment grew out of what was viewed as the pervasive alcohol abuse, especially among men and immigrant populations, of the 19th century. For nearly 100 years, activists and social reformers fought to improve the lives of all Americans, expand the rights of women, and protect children. These reformers supported the 18th amendment as a means to social reform.  Learning Objective Students will understand and analyze how the Temperance movement began and progressed toward a nationwide ban on the manufacture, sale, and consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Neal Dow was the wealthy Mayor of Portland, Maine. In 1851, he demanded the state legislature ban the sale of alcohol.

In 1873, Eliza Jane Thompson, the wife of an Ohio judge who had lost her eldest son to alcoholism, led a women's protest of saloons in Hillsboro, Ohio, by praying in front of them. The temperance movement would spread from town to town.