The Eighteenth Amendment was the end result of a fortyyear crusade. In that period many colorful individuals and temperance organizations rose to meet the challenge of persuading the nation to accept Prohibition. Many of these organizations were run by determined women such as Frances Elizabeth Willard, the president of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. The WCTU became one of the first large-scale women's movements in the United States, promoting other social issues as well as Prohibition. Such advocates met little resistance, as anti-Prohibition, or wet, forces were mostly disorganized in the early days of the debate.

The most powerful temperance organization of all time was the Anti-Saloon League. The ASL utilized a twoprong attack: lobbying politicians while simultaneously educating the masses on the evils of alcohol. They produced millions of pieces of literature, which saturated American schools and political offices. The purpose was to effect...