Today many people speak about the pace and revolutionary speed of life. It
             appears that this has to be the time of greatest change in American
             history. Those who lived in the United States during the mid-1800s may have
             thought differently. When Alexis de Tocqueville visited the U.S. in 1831,
             he was amazed not only by the nation's fast pulse but also by the reaction
             of the citizens to this tremendous growth. Americans were surely on the
             move, but not everyone agreed on the direction. Many were worried about
             territorial expansion, increasing population and expanding diversity that
             was causing increasing animosity and selfishness that individualism brings.
             These concerns initiated the reform tradition or reform impulse as it is
             Individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and interests had
             various reasons for wanting reform or changing the direction they saw the
             country moving. Humanitarian or secular organizations hoped to reduce the
             stresses and inequities created by social disorder, violence, and widening
             class divisions. Others wanted to spread the word of God and eliminate the
             arising societal evils. Specific-cause associations included the American
             Temperance Society, the American Peace Society and the Society for the
             Prevention of Pauperism. The American Bible Society, the American Tract
             Society and the American Female Moral Reform Society were among the
             religious groups that brought the missionary effort to the U.S. population.
             For whatever the problem--crime, poverty, prostitution, intemperance and
             ignorance--an organized effort existed.
             Temperance often headed the list of the moral reform enterprises,
             since drinking was such a critical part of American culture. The
             consumption of whisky, rum, and hard cider exceeded six gallons per person
             per year. In 1826 the national organization, the American Temperance
             Society, was formed. This was followed six years later by th...