The Temperance Movement and its Effects on American Culture

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History 113 Research Paper 12/5/08 The Temperance Movement and its Effects on American Culture The19th century in antebellum America was filled with reform movements. These individuals saw reform as an indication that they had taken control of their own lives and had become morally accountable human beings. These reform movements however encountered much hostility and were not embraced by all Americans. The Temperance Movement was no different, finding its strongest support in the North Eastern States. In 1831, over one-third of the temperance pledges cam from New England, a region that contained eighteen percent of the nation’s free population. This movement would eventually find support at the national level with thirteen states and territories implementing prohibition laws in the 1850’s. The Temperance Movement was a mental process, an effort to educate, enlighten and convince, and thus achieve personal independence from alcohol without law assistance. To understand the appeal of temperance it is important to indentify, the social habits of Americans before the movement began, the origins of temperance, and the effects the Temperance Movement had on American Culture. Until the nineteenth century, no American would have dreamed of castigating liquor, because it was a traditional custom that was engrained in their social habits for centuries. Established elites employed drink, especially through the use of liquor in elections, as a basic element of maintaining social control and preserving the existing social order. An attack on liquor would therefore be an assault on the fundamental structure and values of society. The Puritans did condemn intemperance but in drinking their ideal was moderation, not abstinence. This idea of moderation was interpreted very liberally in colonial America, even the use of hard liquor was considered drinking in moderation.
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