Temperance: The Origins of Temperance

The origins of temperance are difficult to ascertain. Many Protestant denominations long prohibited the use of alcohol. Colonial ministers railed against “strong drink” from their New England pulpits while many people in their congregations continued to imbibe. Colonists commonly brewed their own beer and drank rum, port, and corn whiskey. Because of the copious production of grain, distilled spirits were abundant and inexpensive. Much of the planning for the American Revolution took place in taverns throughout the colonies. Benjamin Franklin was infamous for his fondness of alcohol, and George Washington won his first election to the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1758 by generously distributing “brandy, rum, cyder, strong beer, and wine” to voters at the polls. Although long opposed by Protestant clergy, the drinking of alcohol remained an important, if discreet, part of mainstream British American culture.