Temperance Movement- Reform Sourcing Blog Post

Claypoole Johnston, David. "The Victim of the Ardent Spirits". 1837-1841. Teachushistory.org

During the time period in which this political cartoon was made (early-mid 19th century), the general public began to notice the affects of excessive drinking not only to the relationships between drinkers and their families, friends, neighbors, etc., but also their health. These realizations lead to the start of the Temperance movement, which consisted of either moderation or full abstinence from alcohol. The spirits depicted in this cartoon are each saying different things regarding the man's health, for instance the spirit at the bottom left is saying, "Just as I expected, the fellow's stomach has set my wheelbarrow on fire.", and another is shown scooping out the victim's brains warns his companion, "Be careful how you dig or you'll startle the fellow's soul, which must not be disturbed until we get the body cleaned out.". At the time, Amelia Bloomer was sharing her opinion that people had the ability to change themselves for the better regarding their use/dependence on alcohol by publishing articles in her newspaper, "The Lily", and activist Neal Dow was the man to turn Maine into the first dry state. As more and more of these types of images and newspaper articles were published, the better the circumstances became for drinkers and the people around them.