Date of Award

5-31-2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

History

First Advisor

Charles Romney

Abstract

This thesis discusses the history of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union in Arkansas through their state and local unions as a case study of their influence and ultimate reliance of federal administration to intervene in local restrictions on alcohol. From pioneering local option tactics and supporting legislation to prohibit alcohol in the state, to activity beyond the 1933 repeal, the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union was an essential temperance force that shaped the history of prohibition in Arkansas from its creation to its final days from 1876 to 1984. This paper outlines the history of the organization’s most prominent campaigns during this period, including their beginnings with local option from 1876 to 1899, their rise to state influence from 1900 to 1933, and their continued push for relevance and decline from 1934 to 1984.

Included in

History Commons

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