Abstract
Excerpt: In the nineteenth century, the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union became an effective vehicle that enabled women to enter the public sphere on their own terms; W.C.T.U. members strove to infuse the public arena with feminine morality. Encouraging its members to “Do Everything” to dethrone evil, this group of “Organized Mother-Love” redefined woman’s sphere. Under the adept leadership of Frances Willard, president of the W.C.T.U. from 1879 to 1898, the organization supported a wide range of reforms including suffrage, scientific temperance instruction, and social purity.