My name is Renee Raduechel. My full-time job involves developing a small technical library. One of my part-time jobs is as a bookseller. The other part-time job I hold is that of costumed interpreter at a living history museum. In the last couple of years we've begun holding temperance rallies a couple of times a week (in the context of 19th century [1870's] Wisconsin), and I don't feel that I really know enough yet to make me comfortable playing my part, especially since it's still such a sensitive subject. I don't know which was tougher: the day that brewery employees came to tour (we held the rally anyway), or the day that a temperance organization toured. There are quite a number of subjects on my "study list": - Religious support for the temperance movement - Moral duty/reform v. woman's sphere/cult of domesticity - The "public face": what did women do physically & vocally during temperance rallies - Relationship between temperance & woman suffrage/women's rights movements - Anti-suffragism - Status of women (married/single/widowed/divorced) under the law in 19th century Wisconsin and in some of the other states, and in the U.S. as a whole - What was happening in temperance movements in Europe at the same time, especially in England, Ireland, and Germany - Yankee support of the temperance movement v. immigrant threshing crews and day laborers - Alcohol and health (benefits of alcohol v. water when out in the fields) - Breweries as business in Wisconsin & U.S. in 19th century - Local, county, and state-wide prohibition in Wisconsin I'm probably going to keep my mouth shut much of the time on this list, since I'm not sure how much I have to contribute yet. I am, however, hoping to learn a lot from this list, and am always willing to hear suggestions for articles or texts I should obtain. Thanks for your time, Renee Raduechel [log in to unmask]