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The second geat awakening
Starting in the late 18th century, the Second Great Awakening was an attempt by Protestant religions to revive religion, feeling they were straying from the path of god. Many people, particularly religious enthusiasts and Evangelicals, felt that drinking alcohol and liquor was sinful. -
Massachusetts Society for the Suppression of Intemperance
The M.S.S.I. was an elite group with members ranging in the hundreds at the most. To be a member of the society you had to be voted in, a person could not join, you had to be nominated and selected by the existing members. The M.S.S.I. was not an abstinence society, they suggested if you drank, do it in moderation. -
American temperance society
The American Temperance Society (ATS), also known as the American Society for the Promotion of Temperance, was established on February 13, 1826 in Boston, MA. They had 170,000 members who had taken a pledge to abstain from drinking distilled beverages. -
Washingtonians
In 1840, when six heavy drinkers gave up alcohol, the Washingtonians were founded. Their goal was to help members give up alcohol by relying on each other and also with divine help. The members shared their experiences with one another, as well as encouraging mutual aid. While many other organizations such as the clergy thought that drunkards were evil and irredeemable, the Washingtonians were different because they reached out to fellow drinkers. -
Sons of Temperance
The Sons of Temperance were founded in the early 1840's as a Protestant fraternal order. They were a highly exclusive order that focused on temperance and mutual support for members. The order also focused on other progressive movements like abolition. By the late 1850's, the order had over 5000 chapter houses. -
Carrie Nation
A formidable woman, nearly 6 feet tall and weighing 175 pounds, she dressed in stark black-and-white clothing. Alone or accompanied by hymn-singing women, she would march into a saloon and proceed to sing, pray, hurl biblical-sounding vituperations, and smash the bar fixtures and stock with a hatchet. -
First law
The first statewide success for the temperance movement was in Maine, which passed a law on June 2, 1851, which served as model for other states. -
Prohibition Party
The Prohibition Party is a political party in the United States best known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages. It is the oldest existing third party in the US. The party was an integral part of the temperance movement. -
Womens Christian Temperance Union
Founded in 1873, The Woman's Christian Temperance Union was attractive to women whose husbands were drunkards, and many of whom were beaten by their husbands. The Union's members would often demonstrate outside of saloons and bars. At the Union's peak in 1892, the union had over 150,000 members. -
Portlands Rum Riot
Many Mainers flouted the state’s dry law, concocting liquor at home and selling it to neighbors in “kitchen bars.” Farmers continued the age-old practice of turning apples and other fruits into hard cider and wine. Tavern owners saw fines as a cost of doing business. Pharmacies and groceries sold alcohol legally as medicines and flavor extracts. The Portland Rum Riot of 1855, when an angry mob gathered outside City Hall, left one man dead and seven injured. -
Anti Saloon League
The Anti-Saloon League was the leading organization lobbying for prohibition in the United States in the early 20th century. The League was a non-partisan organization that focused on the single issue of prohibition. The League had branches across the United States to work with churches in marshalling resources for the prohibition fight. -
Carries attacks
On Dec. 27, 1900, prohibitionist Carrie Nation smashed $400 of property in the Carey Hotel bar in Witchita, Kan.; she dubbed her militant campaign against drinking “hatchetation.” -
Prohibition
After years of pressure from the temperance groups, Prohibition was passed through Congress in the form of the 18th Amendment on January 16, 1919. After years of pressure from the temperance groups, Prohibition was passed through Congress in the form of the 18th Amendment on January 16, 1919 -
18th amendment
The 18th amendment is the only amendment to be repealed from the constitution. This unpopular amendment banned the sale and drinking of alcohol in the United States. This amendment took effect in 1919 and was a huge failure. -
Volstead Act
The National Prohibition Act, known informally as the Volstead Act, was enacted to carry out the intent of the Eighteenth Amendment, which established prohibition in the United States. -
Al Capone
Al Capone was the most infamous gangster in American history. In 1920 during the height of Prohibition, Capone’s multi-million dollar Chicago operation in bootlegging, prostitution and gambling dominated the organized crime scene. -
Bootlegging
Rum-running, or bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting (smuggling) alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law. Smuggling is usually done to circumvent taxation or prohibition laws within a particular jurisdiction. -
Speakeasys
Many people would go to "speakeasies," also known as "blind pigs," where alcohol was served in certain establishments. Speakeasys were often very elaborate establishments, providing food, music, dancing and live shows. By 1925, New York City alone contained between 30,000 and 100,000 speakeasies. These establishments were often able to continue operating through corruption in the police department. Police were often bribed to look the other way or to warn these establishments in advance of raids -
St. Valentines Massacre
Chicago’s gang war reached its bloody climax in the so-called St. Valentine’s Day Massacre of 1929. On February 14, seven members of Moran’s operation were gunned down while standing lined up, facing the wall of the garage. Some 70 rounds of ammunition were fired. When police officers from Chicago’s 36th District arrived, they found one gang member, Frank Gusenberg, barely alive. -
Blue Laws
Since the temperance movement sates have laws regarding alcohol, where wines and spirits are to be sold only in the state owned Fine Wine and Good Spirits stores, where all prices must remain the same throughout the state (county sales tax may cause the price to differ slightly)
