Women's Temperance Movement

Definition

The Women’s Temperance Movement was a social movement led by women who were concerned about the destructive power of alcohol and its effects on families. They campaigned for stricter laws around alcohol consumption.

Analogy

Imagine if your neighborhood had a problem with loud music late at night disrupting everyone’s sleep. The Women’s Temperance Movement would be like a group of neighbors banding together to create rules about noise levels after certain hours.

Related terms

Carrie Nation: An American woman who was a radical member of the temperance movement—she is known for attacking saloons with a hatchet!

Eighteenth Amendment: This amendment effectively established Prohibition throughout America by banning alcoholic beverages.

Suffrage Movement: A decades-long fight to win the right for women to vote in the United States. Many of the same women who advocated for temperance also fought for suffrage.