Women and Prohibition

Before Prohibition began, there were Temperance movements mostly chartered by women since the early 1800’s. The effects of liquor had negative effects on family life, productivity and moral codes, which were seen as a threat to the home. By the late 19th century, liquor had become the premier women’s issue. Kenneth Rose, the author of American Women and the Repeal of Prohibition, writes, “In small cities and towns across the Midwest and Northeast, women staged prayer vigils in saloons and worked polling places to urge men to vote against liquor.” Organizations were formed like Anti-Saloon Leagues and the most well-known, Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU).

In Baltimore, the same type of action among women was present during election time in 1920. In the Afro-American Newspaper on October 1, 1920, there was a column “Primer for Women Voters.” The only issue at hand was how to vote for a dry candidate.

“Question- Would you consider it wise to vote for a Republican candidate who is not in favor of prohibition?

Answer- Friends of “prohibition” must stand together and vote together and take no chances at this election. The only safe thing to do is find out before election day which candidates are wet and which are dry and vote for none but dry candidates.”

But what happens when both candidates are “wet?” Well, then that’s where other issues have to be examined. Another article not aimed towards women in the Afro-American Newspaper about elections explains the defeat of Dr. Leon Robinson to Mr. Warner T. McGuinn was not due to prohibition stances because they were both wet. The mere mention of this proves that candidates’ position on Prohibition weighed heavily on how people in Baltimore voted.

---

1 Kenneth Rose, American Women and the Repeal of Prohibition, New York: New York University Press, 1996.

2 “A PRIMER FOR WOMEN VOTERS” Afro-American (1893-1988); Oct 1, 1920; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Baltimore Afro-American (1893-1988)pg. 6

3 THE ELECTION Afro-American (1893-1988); Apr 4, 1919; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Baltimore Afro-American (1893-1988) pg. A4

photo courtesy: Jesse Collins