Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (Coraopolis, Pa.) Minutes, 1929-1954, 1929-1954
- Repository
- ULS Archives & Special Collections
- Title
- Woman's Christian Temperance Union (Coraopolis, Pa.) Minutes, 1929-1954
- Creator
- Woman's Christian Temperance Union (Coraopolis, Pa.)
- Collection Number
- AIS.1970.08
- Extent
- .21 Linear Feet (1 box)
- Date
- 1929-1954
- Abstract
- Organized in 1895 and located northwest of Pittsburgh in Coraopolis, Pa., the Coraopolis Woman's Christian Temperance Union was a local chapter of the national organization, the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (W.C.T.U.), which is an anti-alcohol advocacy group. Since the organization's conception in 1874, the W.C.T.U. has advocated for prohibition, as well as other issues such as women's suffrage, public health, and labor rights. Included in the records are three minute books, which span the years 1929-1954, and contain information on meeting agendas, executive board elections, organizational goals and events, and public outreach efforts.
- Language
- English .
- Publisher
- ULS Archives & Special Collections
- Address
- University of Pittsburgh Library System
Archives & Special Collections
Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Business Number: 412-648-3232 (Thomas) | 412-648-8190 (Hillman)
Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist
URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Mrs. M. M. Moore on June 23, 1970.
Arrangement
The records are arranged chronologically by volume.
Biographical / Historical
In 1895, Angie Starr-Martin and Martha Irwin founded the Coraopolis Woman's Christian Temperance Union, located northwest of Pittsburgh in Coraopolis, Pa., as a branch of the national organization, the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (W.C.T.U.), which is an anti-alcohol advocacy group. At meetings, members of the Coraopolis W.C.T.U. prayed, shared temperance sermons and messages, and discussed opportunities for political advocacy on the local and national levels. In 1929, the group reported 129 members. It is unclear from the records whether the Coraopolis W.C.T.U. remains active.
In 1874, a group of women in Cleveland, Ohio established the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (W.C.T.U.) Annie Wittenmyer served as the first president, followed by Frances Willard in 1879, who expanded the size and impact of the organization. Willard's motto was "do everything," and she encouraged the W.C.T.U. to pursue temperance advocacy and social reform in all areas including women's suffrage, child labor, fair labor laws, sanitation, and international peace.
The W.C.T.U. attracted almost exclusively Protestant women due to the organization's goal of proselytizing to the masses and building a wave of temperance reformers. As part of their evangelizing mission, the W.C.T.U. frequently provided schools with temperance literature and delivered sermons to students warning of the dangers of drugs and alcohol. At its height in 1927, the W.C.T.U. had over 766,000 members globally.
Furthermore, tied to the W.C.T.U.'s temperance advocacy were their campaigns for women's suffrage. The W.C.T.U. argued that given the right to vote, women could pass prohibitionary laws to achieve "home protection" for themselves and their children from abuse or destitution inflicted by men who become violent or reckless under the influence of alcohol.
Presently, the W.C.T.U. is active in the United States, as well as internationally.
The temperance movement in the U.S., which began in the early 19th century, promoted the idea that alcohol and drugs were the cause of numerous social ills, including prostitution, poverty, gambling, domestic violence, and poor working conditions. Temperance advocates maintained that abstention from alcohol could cure society of such ills and their advocacy ultimately culminated in the 1919 passage of the 18th amendment to the Constitution of the United States, better known as "prohibition," which banned the sale and transportation of alcohol.
In 1933, the temperance movement decreased in popularity after the passage of the 21st amendment, which repealed prohibition. After the failure of prohibition, many temperance advocates focused their efforts on promoting laws that would make alcohol less accessible, such as banning the sale of alcohol on Sundays.
Preferred Citation
Woman's Christian Temperance Union (Coraopolis, Pa.) Minutes, 1929-1954, AIS.1970.8, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Caroline E. Berry on July 8, 2022.
Scope and Contents
The records contain three minute books, spanning the years 1929 to 1954, and include summaries of chapter meetings, meeting locations, chapter announcements and events, executive board elections, and financial information. Additionally, discussions identifying pro-temperance political candidates on the national and local level, as well as general opportunities for political advocacy are recorded in the minutes.
The Coraopolis W.C.T.U. held meetings at local Protestant churches, rotating between Presbyterian, Methodist, and Baptist churches. A typical meeting began with prayer and the singing of hymns, followed by chapter events and announcements, then to discussions regarding politics or general successes of the temperance movement.
The second volume of minutes, dated 1939 to 1949, was contained in a three-ring binder. The pages have been removed from the binder and placed in a folder for preservation.
Copyright
The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.
Related Materials
Woman's Christian Temperance Union Records, Wilkinsburg, Pa., 1885-1955, AIS.1972.05, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
History of the Woman's Temperance Crusade and Allegheny County Woman's Christian Temperance Union: 1874-1930 https://historicpittsburgh.org/islandora/object/pitt%3A31735038311035
Hannah J. Bailey Collection of Women's Christian Temperance Union Literature, 1875-1950, SC.1998.01, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Subjects
- Woman's Christian Temperance Union (Coraopolis, Pa.)
- Minute books
- Administrative records
- Women -- Pennsylvania -- Societies and clubs
- Christian women -- Pennsylvania -- Societies and clubs
- Women social reformers -- Pennsylvania -- Societies, etc.
- Temperance -- Societies, etc.