Anti-Saloon League
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Anti-Saloon League was the leading organization lobbying for Prohibition in the United States in the early 20th century.
Founded as a state society in Oberlin, Ohio in 1893, its influence spread rapidly. In 1895 it became a national organization and quickly rose to become the most powerful prohibition lobby in America. It drew most of its support from pietistic Protestants and their ministers, especially Methodists, Congregational, Disciples, and Baptists.
The League lobbied at all levels of government for legislation to prohibit the manufacture of alcohol. Its most prominent leader was Wayne Wheeler. It fought wet candidates such as Al Smith in 1928, but Smith led the opposition to prohibition, which was repealed in 1932.
In 1909, the league moved its national headquarters from Washington, DC to Westerville, Ohio. The city's strong support for prohibition was a major factor in the organization's relocation.
From 1948 until 1950 it was known as the Temperance League, from 1950 to 1964 it was called the National Temperance League; from then it has been known as the American Council on Alcohol Problems. To this day it remains true to its temperance agenda.
The American Issue Publishing Company, the publishing arm of the ASL was also opened in Westerville. Ernest Cherrington headed The American Issue Publishing Company.
Throughout the prohibition era, the American Issue Publishing Company was printing so many leaflets that Westerville became the smallest town to have a first class post office. Over forty tons of mail per month were generated by the American Issue Publishing Company.
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[edit] References
- Anti-Saloon League of America. Anti-Saloon League of America Yearbook. annual to 1933
- Cherrington, Ernest. History of the Anti-Saloon League. 1913
- Ewin, James Lithgow. The Birth of the Anti-Saloon League. Washington, D.C., 1913
- Kerr, K. Austin. Organized for Prohibition: A New History of the Anti-Saloon League. Yale University Press, 1985
- Lien, Jerry. The Speechmaking of the Anti-Saloon League. University of Southern California, 1968
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- History of Anti-alcohol Movements in the U.S.
- Ohio History Central (Westerville)
- Anti-Saloon League Museum
