Augustana College Prohibition League records

Collection

Identifier: MSS 255

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Augustana College Prohibition League records, 1910-1918 and undated, is arranged into five series: Membership, Finances, Propaganda, Oration, and Articles.

The Membership series (1910-1915 and undated) contains a constitution of the Illinois Intercollegiate Prohibition Association, nine membership cards for joining the movement, two volumes of Augustana Prohibition League minutes, and an introductory letter from the Augustana chapter.

The Finances series (1912-1915) contains a bound treasurer's report and collected receipts, pledges and bills addressed to the league.

The Propaganda series (1914-1915) contains articles and purported evidence of the effects of liquor on both community and personal lives. Included are pamphlets describing the prohibition movement in a university setting and local articles such as "Relation of Rock Island Saloons to the County" and "Temperance Work at Augustana." This series also includes a booklet describing one of the group's seminal projects, a survey of liquor traffic and advantageous locations of saloons in Rock Island.

The Oration series (1914) contains programs and articles regarding the 1914 state-wide Prohibition Association competition held at Augustana College, including a program in Swedish.

The Articles series (1913-1918) contains a handwritten draft of the Phrenokosmian Society's weekly paper that focuses on Prohibition as well as articles from the 1914 Spring edition of Temperance. Also included in this series is a 1918 full-page newspaper advertisement on "Why Should I Vote Dry?"

Dates

Creation: 1910-1918 and undated

Creator

Augustana College and Theological Seminary (Rock Island, Ill.). Prohibition League (Organization)

Language of Materials

English and Swedish

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on the use of this collection.

Conditions Governing Use

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from Augustana College Special Collections and the copyright holder.

Historical Note

Augustana's Prohibition League was one of fifteen college chapters forming the Intercollegiate Prohibition Association. Formed in 1912, eight years before the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution (banning the manufacture, sale, and transfer of alcohol) would go into effect, the Prohibition Leauge was a proponent of the temperance movement, and supported national organizations such as the Anti-Saloon League (1893). The group's over-arching goals included strict regulation of alcohol traffic, eventual "dry" legislation, and raised awareness of the detrimental effects of alcohol (though its arguments generally focused on saloon licenses and their draining influence on city taxes.) The club's motto was "we stand for the training of college men and women for service in the settlement of the liquor problem." On 3 April 1914, Helen Wiggers, a student and league member of Augustana College, competed in an oratorical competition at the annual state convention of the Prohibition Association. She read her speech, "Prohibition: The Only Hope of a Happy Nation," and took first place. Both the convention and competition were held on the Augustana campus.