History of the Woman's Temperance Crusade by Annie Wittenmyer
History of the Woman's Temperance Crusade by Annie Wittenmyer is a historical account written in the late 19th century. It chronicles the grassroots, prayer-led uprising of Christian women against the liquor traffic, focusing on street prayers, saloon visits, public appeals, and the movement’s rapid organization into the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. Expect vivid, first-person episodes, legal showdowns, and community mobilization, with Ohio’s early actions setting the pace for a nationwide gospel temperance
campaign. The opening of this history dedicates the work to crusading women and frames its purpose as an official, firsthand record, followed by Frances E. Willard’s introduction portraying the Crusade as a defense of home that opened the public’s eyes, united churches on the streets, and evolved from spontaneous praying bands into disciplined unions. Chapter I sketches a nation blessed yet imperiled by state-sanctioned liquor revenue, political capture, church quietism, and women’s anguish, before describing a Pentecost-like awakening that sent women into saloons to pray. The narrative then begins in Hillsboro, Ohio: Dr. Dio Lewis’s call sparks organization; Eliza J. Thompson takes reluctant leadership after a Bible-guided conviction; women hold the first saloon prayer-meeting, face legal pushback from a druggist, and stage symbolic whiskey destruction. It proceeds to Washington Court House, where hymn-singing, appeals, pledges, and tabernacle vigils lead to rapid saloon surrenders and sustained public meetings, before turning toward further early campaigns such as Wilmington. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Download for free
For your e-reader or reading app — Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, Calibre etc.
Kindle → Use Send-to-Kindle
- Download the EPUB3 file above
- Upload it on the Amazon site your Kindle is registered with: amazon.com/sendtokindle for the US, amazon.co.uk/sendtokindle for the UK etc.
- It appears on your Kindle and in the Kindle app
Kobo, Nook etc. → Transfer via USB
- Download the EPUB3 file on your computer
- Connect your e-reader by USB and tap "Connect" on its screen
- Drag the file onto the e-reader drive
Phone, Tablet or Computer → Online or Reading App
Easiest: read online in your browser. Nothing to install.
Or use a reading app:
- Find and install one you like, for example Apple Books, ReadEra or Thorium Reader
- Download the EPUB3 file above
- Open it in the app
More help: iPhone / iPad · Android · Computer
Other formats & older devices
There may be more files related to this item.
About this eBook
| Author | Wittenmyer, Annie, 1827-1900 |
|---|---|
| Author of introduction, etc. | Willard, Frances E. (Frances Elizabeth), 1839-1898 |
| LoC No. | 10004678 |
| Title | History of the Woman's Temperance Crusade |
| Original Publication | Boston: James H. Earle, 1882. |
| Credits | PrimeNumber and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | HV: Social sciences: Social pathology, Social and Public Welfare |
| Subject | Woman's Temperance Crusade, 1873-1874 |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 77878 |
| ISBN (HTML) | 979-8-238-77878-5 |
| Release Date | Feb 7, 2026 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 378 downloads in the last 30 days. |
Project Gutenberg eBooks are always free!