The Community Seniors of Bolton, Huntington, and Richmond welcome Susan McClure Evans, Executive Director of the Champlain Maritime Museum who will give a virtual presentation .

"Our Best Endeavors:" Temperance and Prohibition in the Champlain Valley When you think about "Prohibition," most people imagine gangster and bootleggers with tommy guns and fancy cars in the 1920s. But to truly understand federal Prohibition in the Champlain Valley, you have to start earlier than the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1919. Vermont actually had statewide prohibition for half of the 19th century! Join us to examine how the Champlain Valley went from being a major producer and consumer of alcohol in the early 1800s to a hotbed of temperance sentiment by the mid-19th century. What caused the members of the Westport Sons of Temperance to proclaim in 1853 that they would "use our best endeavors to procure and sustain a stringent prohibitory law"? And what can this all help us understand about the tension between regulation and personal freedom that plays out in our society today?

The link for this event is http://meet.google.com/aqv-npje-xju

Questions? Contact Peggy Curtis peggyratcliffecurtis@gmail.com

May 9, 2024, 7:30 to 8:30 AM

May 12, 9 AM to 12 PM, May 13, 2024

May 13, 2024, 5 to 6 PM