The women's temperance movement was the main cause of the passage of Prohibition in the United States.

Is it true that the women's temperance movement was the main cause of the passage of Prohibition in the United States?

Partly. Sources partially support the claim: the WCTU is described as a leading temperance organization and women played a strong role in the movement. But other sources credit the Anti-Saloon League, Protestant revivalism, and capitalist interests as the driving forces, and note the WCTU lost influence or suffered setbacks, so no source establishes the women's movement as the main cause.

Verdict: CONTESTED PARTIAL · 3 sources for, 3 against · Last checked 3 Oct 2026

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

Temperance movement - Wikipedia. (n.d.). en.wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperance_movement

Temperance movement in the United States. (n.d.). en.wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperance_movement_in_the_United_States

Prohibition: Years, Amendment and Definition - HISTORY | HISTORY. (n.d.). history.com. https://www.history.com/articles/prohibition

Schrad, M. L. (2021). A Tale of Two Franceses—Temperance and Suffragism in the United States. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190841577.003.0013

Smith, M. C. (2017). Questioning Similarities: Prohibition in the United States and Finland. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.22439/asca.v49i1.5460

The Politics of Sex and Beer: How the Brewing Industry in Wisconsin Exploited the Unified Woman's Movement to Prevent Changes in the Age of Consent Law to Protect Their Sex-Slave Industry. (2003). doi.org. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.470581