Temperance: The Production and Consumption of Alcohol in the 1800s

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Temperance is defined as the abstinence from alcoholic drinks. During the Era of Reform this was a concept that continued to grow. During the early 1800s the production and consumption of alcohol began to rise slowly. Temperance emerged as a backlash against the popularity of drinking. In 1826, The American Temperance Society advocated total abstinence from alcohol. People during this time saw drinking as an immoral and irreligious activity that ultimately led to poverty and mental instability. Many other people viewed this as a male indulgence. In 1830, an increasing number of working men joined the movement of temperance with concerns of alcohol and job performance. By 1835, there were over 5,000 temperance societies whom affiliated with The American Temperance Society. With all the opposing groups formed, consumption began decreasing in the late 1830s and early 1840s, and many states set restrictions or bans on the sales of alcohol.
Prison reform was a major issue as well. The condition of these situations were horrifying. Inmates were treated horrendously. A lot of the inmates in prisons were debtors that owed money. Thousands of Americans owed less than $20, but because they were locked down they were still unable to pay it back due to lack of working. Similar to the prison treatment, the treatment of mentally ill patients were no better. A known American activist for the indigent insane Dorothea Dix played a vital role in the reform of these prison and punishment centers. She hated how people were being treated, especially the treatment of mentally ill patients. In a facility where they should be treated and not punished, people were locked away in dirty, crowded prison cells. Dix prepared a report and presentation and visi...

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...ople in poverty greatly, by reducing the amount of children born into these areas. For a woman to have the option to terminate or prevent a pregnancy was a major thing. Well known nurse at this time Margaret Sanger noticed how women acted and felt going through the pains of an unwanted and unplanned pregnancy. She attempted to open one of the first clinics in New York, but was shut down 30 days after and put in jail. With this arrest, she gained national support and agreement, just the kind she needed to make another attempt at her dream. This time she was very successful, she founded the American Birth Control League in 1921 and in 1923 she opened The Clinical Research Bureau which was the first legal doctor and staff birth control services. This facility offered a wide range of services for both men and women, as well as offered training to students and doctors.

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