Excessive consumption of alcohol was a huge problem in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Progressive reformers such as Susan B. Anthony and Emily Howland, in addition to fighting for women’s suffrage, also advocated for temperance, since women were often the victims of alcohol-fueled violence. 

As a result of their efforts, the amendment for prohibition was passed in 1919, one year before women gained the right to vote.

On the occasion of her one hundredth birthday in 1927, Emily Howland said that everything she had fought for had been won. Of course, we now know that prohibition did not solve the problem of alcoholism, just as constitutional amendments did not guarantee persons of color the right to vote.

Join us as we revisit the history of this complex issue with HSSM Historian, Larry Bell.

Opendore will open for visitors at 3pm before the program.