One of the most powerful non-violent movements in American history was led by the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. This group of outspoken women fought against the violent destruction of homes because of alcohol, ultimately arguing for the implementation of anti-alcohol legislation. The WCTU’s first president, Annie Wittenmeyer, served from 1874 to 1879, and she died on February 2, 1900. At its peak, the WCTU claimed over a thousand chapters across the U.S. and played a major role in the ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment. The success of the WCTU was even more remarkable because all of its accomplishments took place before women were granted the right to vote.
