Women's Temperance Crusade: Ohio Women Take to the Streets!

Short description: Presented by Elaine Frantz, a Professor of History at Kent State University. This program focuses on gender, race, social movements, and violence in U.S. History. Register to receive a Zoom link.

Description: Ohio Women Take to the Streets! In 1873-1874, women in small towns and large cities all over the United States took to the streets to demand an end to the sale of alcohol, which they believed was the cause of domestic abuse, street harassment, family poverty, disease, and a host of other social problems. They marched in military formations, occupied saloons, and sometimes were arrested and jailed. The movement lasted several months, and ultimately transformed into the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, by far the largest and most powerful women’s organization of the nineteenth century. Ohio women were among the first, and most passionate, of these marchers. This talk will discuss why and how these marches happened in Ohio, and what they tell us about the crucial role of Ohio’s women in the period’s national politics.