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| Long before the more popular American temperance movements of the early 1920s, Ann Arborites were torn between allowing the diversion of drinking and the moral and social issues it chafed against (Marwil, 10-11). After working at his trade or plowing the rough earth all day, Ann Arbor's men occasionally chose locally-brewed beers and liquors to lift their spirits (Marwil, 4.) At this time, the local churches apparently did not prove effective in taking a stand against drunken miscreants; on the night of March 12, 1838, First Presbyterian Church was allegedly broken into by crazed "inebriate(s)" (Marwil, 11.) The citizens did not stand idly by, as three Ann Arbor chapters of the Sons of Temperance and one Ladies of Temperance group gained popularity. One can imagine that a town so rooted in maintaining a positive moral identity would gladly participate in these organizations - and that the prestige of belonging to such a group helped quell the problem as it did. In closing, one must understand that there are no apparent connections between the German tradition of beer making and the need for temperance activity in the 1830s and onward. |