ABSTRACT
When historians have considered the antebellum temperance movement, they have often described an icon of antebellum America itself, the self-made man. He was white, upwardly-mobile and individualistic. During the day, he competed in a market economy to get ahead, and at night, he returned home to a domestic, feminine oasis from the capitalist fray. A total abstinence lifestyle was a natural choice for such a man. The temperance movement made alcohol a readily identifiable source of failure, which soothed the anxiety surrounding a man’s personal fortunes and eased his conscience regarding those who enjoyed none of their own success. He could assure himself that he would not slip into poverty if he simply abstained and that those who did slip must have done the opposite. The total abstinence lifestyle also made him a model father and husband in the sentimental, middle-class home.1
