The Molly Pitcher Club was founded in 1922 as a woman's anti-prohibition organization. They argued that drinking itself was not illegal and so the government should not get involved with a personal and private choice.Rose, 2

History

The Molly Pitcher Club was created in 1922 by

M. Louise Gross M. Louise Gross (1884–1951) was secretary to New York City Tammany Hall district leader Thomas F. Foley, a close associate of Al Smith. She served in leadership positions in repeal of prohibition organizations including the Molly Pitcher C ...

to campaign for the repeal of prohibition.,Rose, 68 which began in the United States in 1920. The organization was named after a Revolutionary War folklore heroine,

Molly Pitcher Molly Pitcher is a nickname given to a woman said to have fought in the American Revolutionary War. She is most often identified as Mary Ludwig Hays, who fought in the Battle of Monmouth in June 1778. Another possibility is Margaret Corbin, w ...

. Molly Pitcher was the name given to women who carried water to men on the battlefield during the American Revolution. The stated purpose of the Molly Pitchers was to prevent "any tendency on the part of our National Government to interfere with the personal habits of the American people except those habits which may be designated as criminal."Rose, 67 Although they had national aspirations, the group was limited to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and held meetings at the

Ritz Carlton Hotel The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC is an American multinational company that operates the luxury hotel chain known as The Ritz-Carlton. The company has 108 luxury hotels and resorts in 30 countries and territories with 29,158 rooms, in addit ...

and Delmonico's. In 1923 a group of 120 women from the Molly Pitcher Club arrived in Albany to urge Governor

Al Smith Alfred Emanuel Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was an American politician who served four terms as Governor of New York and was the Democratic Party's candidate for president in 1928. The son of an Irish-American mother and a Ci ...

to repeal the state prohibition enforcement measure called the Mullan-Gage Act. This march was the club's largest activity and faded quickly thereafter. Gross explained that the "activities of the Molly Pitcher Club subsided because there was nothing of importance in the prohibition field for it to do."Root, p? The club's attempt to expand its all-female membership was limited by its direct relationship to the

Association Against the Prohibition Amendment The Association Against the Prohibition Amendment was established in 1918 and became a leading organization working for the repeal of prohibition in the United States. It was the first group created to fight Prohibition, also known as the 18th ...

, which was larger, national, and accepted both men and women.

References

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Sources

*Kenneth D. Rose, ''American Women and the Repeal of Prohibition'', American Social Experience Series, no. 33, (New York University Press, 1966) *Grace C. Root, ''Women and Repeal: The Story of the Women's Organization for National Prohibition Repeal'' (NY: Harper & Brothers, 1934) Prohibition in the United States 1922 establishments in New York (state) Organizations established in 1922 Political organizations based in the United States Women's organizations based in the United States Women in New York (state)