American Temperance Movement

By the 1820’s whiskey sold for twenty-five cents a gallon, making it cheaper than beer, wine, coffee, tea, or milk. This made whiskey cheap and extremely available, American consumption soared as a result. By 1830, the tolling of a town bell at 11am and again at 4pm marked “grog time.” In 1830, the Smith family lived in Wayne County, NY where alcohol consumption reached its peak at an outlandish 7 gallons of ethanol a year per capita. In the modern world, the current American alcohol consumption rate seems to be roughly 2.42 gallons of ethanol per year, per capita…nearly three times less per capita than in 1830!
This high alcohol consumption led to another movement which emerged during the second great awakening called the Temperance Movement. The Temperance Movement was a social movement that emphasized the abstinence of alcoholic beverages. By 1831, there were over 24 women's organizations which were dedicated to the Temperance Movement. The movement spread rapidly under the influence of churches. By 1833 there were 6,000 local societies in several states. Many churches, including the Latter-day Saints, adopted this health code. The Kirtland Temperance Society, established October 6, 1830, was well established before the saints arrived in Ohio. It comprised of 239 members.
A few years later on February 1, 1833 (weeks before the Word of Wisdom was published) all distilleries in the Kirtland area were shut down. The Word of Wisdom was first published as a stand-alone announcement in December 1833. In 1835, it was included in the newly revised revelations for the church known as The Doctrine and Covenants.
Learn more about the Temperance Movement- a popular social movement of the nineteenth century.