II.

The United States

Organized temperance sentiment in the United States may be traced to the early 19th century, when the first temperance societies were established in New York (1808), Massachusetts (1813), and Connecticut (1813). The American Society for the Promotion of Temperance was organized in Boston in 1826. Soon, working with evangelical fervor, the society's members had established thousands of local and state auxiliaries. By 1835 temperance organizations across the country counted about 1 million members. By 1855, following the lead of Maine, several states had passed laws prohibiting intoxicating beverages. General interest in temperance declined, however, during the American Civil War (1861-1865).

During the decade following the war, interest in temperance and prohibition revived nationwide. This was largely a result of public concern over the tremendous growth of the liquor industry in the 1860s and the involvement of the industry in local and national politics (see Whiskey Ring). Prominent in the temperance revival were the Prohibition Party, organized in 1869, and the National Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), organized in 1874. Individual reformers, such as Carry Nation, also lobbied for temperance and prohibition with evangelical zeal.

Although the Prohibition Party never acquired much numerical strength, its influence was felt by both major U.S. political parties, necessitating more careful scrutiny of candidates' characters, especially in local elections. Even more influential, however, was the massive evidence of over-indulgence collected and publicized by the several temperance organizations, particularly the WCTU and the Anti-Saloon League of America. By 1917 many railroads had adopted regulations prohibiting the use of intoxicating liquors by employees, and a number of industrial concerns had adopted similar rules. In 1919 the majority of U.S. states ratified the 18th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which prohibited the 'manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors.' In 1933 the 18th Amendment was repealed, ending Prohibition. Since that time temperance sentiment in the United States has been negligible.