2015 Press Releases

National Archives Explores Temperance and Woman Suffrage March 31
Press Release · Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Washington, DC

On Tuesday, March 31, at 7 p.m, the National Archives presents a special program “Temperance and Woman Suffrage: Reform Movements and the Women Who Changed America.” This event is free and open to the public and will be held in the William G. McGowan Theater of the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, and streamed live via YouTube.

The temperance and woman suffrage movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries created opportunities for women to organize for social, economic, and political change. Support for the temperance movement through the largest women’s organization, the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, opened the door for women to work not only for temperance, but for issues including improved working conditions for wage-earning women, improved public education, and political equality.

Page Harrington, executive director of the Sewall-Belmont House & Museum, will lead a discussion on how these reform movements provide a fascinating study of the individuals who participated in both movements, the organizations they created, and women as the driving force behind significant change in the United States. Lori Osborne, archivist and president of the Frances Willard Historical Association; Dr. Rosalyn Terborg-Penn, University Professor Emerita, Morgan State University; and Kristina Myers, Program Director at the Alice Paul Institute, will also participate. Presented in partnership with the Sewall-Belmont House & Museum in celebration of Women’s History Month.

Attendees should use the Special Events entrance, located on Constitution Avenue at 7th Street, NW. The building is fully accessible. Metro: Yellow or Green lines, Archives/Navy Memorial station.

Related new exhibit: “Spirited Republic: Alcohol in American History”
Lawrence F. O'Brien Gallery, March 6–January 10, 2016
Spirited Republic uses nearly 100 National Archives documents and artifacts to reveal the Federal Government’s efforts, successes, and failures to change our drinking habits, from whiskey rations to the Continental Army to the Whiskey Rebellion to Prohibition and beyond. The stories they tell echo today’s debates over regulating drinking and the legalization of other drugs. Follow the exhibit on social media channels using hashtag #SpiritedRepublic. Spirited Republic is presented in part by the National Archives Foundation through the generous support of HISTORY® and the Lawrence F. O'Brien Family.

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For press information contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at 202-357-5300.

Connect with the National Archives on:
Twitter: @USNatArchives
Facebook: USNationalArchives
Tumblr: http://usnatarchives.tumblr.com
Using hashtag #SpiritedRepublic

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