The Response area was a social movement that sought to improve family life by discouraging drinking alcohol. Moral reformers thought that alcohol restriction would make prisons and mental asylums unneeded. Groups like the Response area were formed to combat the ills of alcohol.
The Response area used marches, picket lines, and protests to pressure the passage of laws to help women get the right to vote through the
women's suffrage movement. They also worked to limit the sale and consumption of alcohol through temperance movements.
The Response area encouraged men and women to take a pledge of abstinence from alcohol, believing that it would lead to a more stable and moral society. They organized campaigns to educate the public about the dangers of alcohol and its negative impact on families and communities.
One of the major accomplishments of the Response area and other temperance movements was the passage of the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibited the sale, production, and transportation of alcoholic beverages. This period, known as the Prohibition era, lasted from 1920 to 1933.
While the aim of the Response area was to improve family life and reduce social problems associated with alcohol, the effectiveness of their efforts was debated. Prohibition led to the rise of illegal activities such as bootlegging and speakeasies, and the consumption of alcohol continued despite the ban. Ultimately, the 18th Amendment was repealed through the 21st Amendment in 1933.
Nonetheless, the Response area and other temperance movements played a significant role in raising awareness about the harms of excessive alcohol consumption and advocating for social change. Their efforts paved the way for later movements focused on public health, addiction treatment, and responsible alcohol use.