Frances Willard’s leadership in the Temperance movement set her apart from prior organizations as she not only revolutionized the organization of a movement through her devotion to creating a national and unified organization that would advocate for all reform, with the overarching goal of bettering the role of women and exhibiting the influence and power women could have if they were given an opportunity.
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How It All Started “About the year 1851, when I was twelve years old my father came home to the old farm in Wisconsin…and said: 'Well, Neal Dow has had his way. There is Prohibition in the state of Maine. No man can now sell intoxicating liquor without making himself a criminal.'…he [then] said to my mother: 'When do you suppose our poor, rum-cursed Wisconsin will have a law like that?' My mother looked up from her sewing, and quietly observed; 'When women vote.' Two principles then and there took root in my impressionable mind; first, that there ought to be a law against saloons; second, that the vote of women could be used to bring about such a law” (Willard). |
“Miss Willard’s Last Photograph”
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Temperance and What Came With It “Everything is not in the Temperance Reform, but the Temperance Reform should be in everything" (Willard). Willard's motto, “Do Everything,” was enveloped by the WCTU who thought fighting for Temperance would in turn encompass every social reform they believed in and fought for. Willard believed that all social reforms were interconnected, which is why the WCTU fought for more than temperance and why their fight for temperance meant a fight for other reforms as well. |
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Leadership “Wide experience as a teacher had given her opportunity to develop elements of leadership. Her devotion to humanity’s well being was pronounced; her sweet winsomeness drew all to her. Most of all, her deep spiritual nature caused her to lose sight of self in service” (Ida B. Wise Smith, Annual Address). Willard's leadership was able to teach women with different ideals and backgrounds to speak out in public and work together for the Temperance cause. She was determined to teach women how to run an organization and how to speak publicly, which in turn legitimized the WCTU and proved to men that women deserved to be held in a respected position in society. |
 "Hints and Helps in our Temperance Work" by Frances E. Willard
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