Woman's Christian Temperance Union
The
Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is the oldest continuing non-
sectarian women's
organization in the
U.S. and worldwide. The
women of
Fredonia,
New York are credited with being the first of the
women's groups to visit the
saloons. Subsequently, on
December 22,
1873, they were the first local
organization to adopt the name, Woman's
Christian Temperance Union.
The purpose of the WCTU is to
combat the influence of
alcohol on families and
society.
Frances Willard, a noted
feminist, was its second
president. They were inspired by the
Greek writer Xenophon who defined
temperance as "moderation in all things
healthful; total
abstinence from all things harmful." In other words, should something be
good, it should not be indulged in to excess. Should something be
bad for you, it should be avoided altogether—thus their attempts to rid their
societal surroundings of what they saw (and still see) as the dangers of
alcohol,
tobacco,
recreational drugs, etc.
The WCTU perceived
alcoholism as a consequence of larger social problems rather than as a personal weakness or failing. Thus the WCTU was very interested in a number of social reform issues including:
labor,
prostitution,
public health,
sanitation and
international peace. As the movement grew in numbers and strength, members of the WCTU also focused on
suffrage. The WCTU was very instrumental in organizing women's suffrage leaders and in helping more women become involved in American politics. Suffragists who emerged out of the WCTU used constitutional arguments to support their bid for enfranchisement and cited the
Fourteenth Amendment. They claimed that American adult women had the right to vote because they were individuals and were thus entitled to enjoy all the rights of an American individual. By making this argument, suffragists were perceived as less threatening to social order, appealed to American pride and were successful in presenting their message of extending voting rights to all American adults.
The WCTU also formed in
Canada in
1874, in
Ontario. In
1885 Letitia Youmans founded a nationwide
organization which was to become the leading
women's
society in
Canada's
temperance movement. An
Australian arm commenced operation in
Australia in
1882, it was important in both the temperance and
women's suffrage movements. In addition to campaigning against
alcohol, the WCTU addressed
social ills stemming from
drunkenness such as
domestic violence. It also campaigned for reforms that would improve the status of
women in
society, such as the
right to
vote. The WCTU was a major force in
Prohibition-and was also influential in creating
laws banning
prostitution and
recreational drugs in the
United States.
Although the WCTU had chapters throughout
North America and had hundreds of thousands of members, it did not initially accept
Catholic,
Jewish, or
African-American women, or
women who had not been born in
North America. Today that is no longer the case. In fact, today
men may also join the organization as honorary members.
The main requirements for joining the WCTU include signing a pledge of
abstinence from
alcohol and paying membership dues.
Current issues for the WCTU include
alcohol, which the
organization recognizes as
North America's number one
drug problem, and
illegal drugs. The WCTU has warned against the dangers of
tobacco since
1875. They continue to this day in their fight against those substances which they see as harmful to
society.
The WCTU publishes a quarterly
journal entitled
The Union Signal; the journal's main focus is as a digest of current research and information on drugs.[
1]
*
Frances Willard*
Mary Hunt*
Scientific Temperance Federation*
Temperance movement*
WCTU Official Website*
WCTU of Southern California*
WCTU of Australia*
WCTU of Maine*
Woman's Christian Temperance Union of Victoria, Inc.*
The Frances Willard House Historical Association*
Religious Movements Homepage Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)*
Friends (Quaker) United Meeting: WCTU in Our Heritage*
The Handbook of Texas: WCTU*
Address Before The Second Biennial Convention Of The World's Woman's Christian Temperance Union, by Frances Willard, President (October, 1893)*
Modern History Sourcebook: Woman's Christian Temperance Union: Growth of Membership and of Local, Auxiliary Unions, 1879-1921*
"We Sang Rock of Ages": Frances Willard Battles Alcohol in the late 19th century, by Frances Willard*
National Prohibition of Alcohol in the U.S.
