Temperance songs

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/temperance-songs

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the musical classification?A distinct genre of American music developed to promote the Temperance Movement
2. What is the period of prominence?Flourished approximately from the 1840s to the 1920s
3. What were temperance songs and why did people sing them?They were songs that told people to stay away from alcohol. Singers used catchy tunes to help people think about staying sober.
4. How did temperance songs use popular music to spread their message?They took well‑known melodies, like "Oh! Susanna," and wrote new words about staying sober. This made the songs easy to learn and share.

Temperance Movement: A widespread social reform effort in the United States aimed at reducing or eliminating the consumption of alcoholic beverages.
Per Capita Consumption: The average amount of a specific substance consumed per person within a defined population over a given period.
Propaganda: Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.