Early "Dry" Groups
The United Friends of Temperance (UFT)
The UFT - the first Texas-wide dry organization - formed in 1870 to encourage good Protestant Christian men to vote for local option in order to protect their families and Texas's integrity. Members traveled throughout the state to educate men on the benefits of prohibition. After years of campaigning, the UFT convinced the Texas Legislative to enact the first post-war local option policy in the 1876 Constitution. This allowed counties to vote on local option or the right to go dry and ban alcohol. Initially, only three counties - Jasper, Rockwall, and Jones - went dry, but local option elections became the weapon of choice for Prohibitionists.
Women's Christian Temperance Union
Founded in 1882 following the tour of national leader, Frances Willard, two chapters of the Women's Christian Temperance promoted total abstinence from alcoholic beverages and called for the closure of all liquor distributors and producers. This, the WCTU, believed would reduce or eliminate crime and immorality, thus improving society and the American family. For the sake of the American family, the Texas WCTU also called for social-welfare reforms and women's suffrage. Many members of the public rejected the WCTU because of the women's suffrage efforts, however, the Texas WCTU continued to call for alcohol education in public schools, local option elections, and state-wide prohibition until the Eighteenth Amendment passed in 1919.