Carrie Nation

Carrie Nation
source
Name	Carrie Nation
Caption	Nation c. 1910, holding a hatchet and a Bible.
Birth name	Carrie Amelia Moore
Birth date	November 25, 1846
Birth place	Garrard County, Kentucky, U.S.
Death date	June 9, 1911
Death place	Leavenworth, Kansas, U.S.
Occupation	Activist, schoolteacher, saloon-wrecker
Known for	Radical temperance movement activism
Spouse	Charles Gloyd (m. 1867; died 1869), David A. Nation (m. 1874; div. 1901)

Carrie Nation. A formidable and controversial figure in the American Prohibition movement, she became infamous for her militant tactics of direct action against the liquor trade. Armed with a hatchet and driven by fervent religious conviction, she led a one-woman crusade of "hatchetation" against saloons, particularly in Kansas, garnering national notoriety. Her dramatic activism, spanning the late 19th and early 20th centuries, made her a polarizing symbol of the temperance movement's most radical wing and a precursor to the ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Early life and background

Carrie Amelia Moore was born in Garrard County, Kentucky, to a family with a history of mental instability, a factor often cited in later analyses of her behavior. Her family moved frequently during her childhood, living in Missouri, Texas, and eventually settling in Belton, Missouri. Her first marriage, to a young Civil War veteran and physician named Charles Gloyd, was brief and tragic; Gloyd was a severe alcoholic who died shortly after their separation, an experience that profoundly shaped her lifelong hatred of alcohol. She later married David A. Nation, an attorney, journalist, and minister, and moved with him to Medicine Lodge, Kansas, where she initially worked as a schoolteacher and immersed herself in the local Woman's Christian Temperance Union chapter.

Temperance activism

Frustrated by the ineffectiveness of peaceful prayer and persuasion against Kansas saloons that illegally defied the state's prohibition laws, Nation adopted a radical new strategy around 1900. Claiming divine instruction, she began her "hatchetation" campaign, storming into establishments in Kansas City, Wichita, and other towns to smash bottles, bars, and mirrors with a hatchet while singing hymns. Her most famous raid targeted the elegant Carey House bar in Wichita. She was frequently arrested for her actions, facing charges like disturbing the peace and vandalism, but used her court appearances to deliver fiery sermons against the evils of alcohol, gaining widespread press coverage. She expanded her crusade nationally, leading hatchet-wielding raids in cities like St. Louis, New York City, and Washington, D.C., and even confronted politicians, reportedly berating President William McKinley.

Later years and death

After divorcing David Nation in 1901, she capitalized on her fame by lecturing extensively on the Chautauqua circuit, selling souvenir hatchets, and publishing a biweekly newsletter called *The Smasher's Mail*. She also authored an autobiography titled *The Use and Need of the Life of Carry A. Nation*. Her health began to decline after a physical attack during a lecture in Butte, Montana, and she eventually retired to a farm in Leavenworth County. She was admitted to Evergreen Place Hospital and later to the State Hospital for the Insane in Leavenworth, Kansas, where she died on June 9, 1911. She was buried in Belton, Missouri, and her grave marker bears the epitaph she chose: "She hath done what she could."

Legacy and cultural impact

Carrie Nation remains a powerful and complex icon in American history, embodying the fervor and extremism that characterized elements of the Progressive Era. Her tactics were criticized by more moderate temperance leaders like Frances Willard but inspired a segment of the movement. She has been referenced and depicted in numerous cultural works, from the musical The Music Man to episodes of television series like Drunk History. The Woman's Christian Temperance Union and other groups commemorated her, and her image and hatchet became enduring symbols of radical reform. While the Eighteenth Amendment and the Volstead Act were achieved through broader political organization after her death, her dramatic, violent protests brought unprecedented national attention to the cause of prohibition.

Category:American temperance activists Category:1846 births Category:1911 deaths