Evangelical protestants and the prohibition movement in Texas, 1887-1919

Abstract

The trials and tribulations of the prohibition movement in Texas between 1887 and 1919 challenge the popular stereotype of evangelical Protestant hegemony in the Lone Star State. Despite the fact that the Texas political establishment was dominated by Anglo Protestants, Texans consistently resisted efforts by evangelical Protestants to enact constitutional prohibition until the emotions of World War One swayed public sentiment. In 1887, Texas voters overwhelmingly rejected statewide prohibition. In 1919, the long-term goal of prohibitionist Protestants was finally realized when Texas voters adopted a prohibition amendment to the state constitution. Fundamental to the frustration of statewide prohibition were the divisions and misconceptions of the evangelical Protestants. Complete unity never came to prohibitionist Protestant leadership, and the two major Protestant bodies, the Baptists and Methodists, struggled with ecclesiastical and ideological change. At the same time, prohibitionist assessment of the Texas populace was incorrect. Texans were not altogether controlled by evangelical Protestantism. Texans proved to be more pluralistic and heterogeneous than evangelical Protestant leadership perceived.