The temperance movement during the 18th century gave African Americans more reason to abstain from alcohol (Herd, 1991). Many Black leaders during the abolition and temperance movements were recorded as saying, “To keep sober was to strike a blow to slavery” (Herd, 1991). It was also recorded that prominent abolitionists encouraged abstinence among free Blacks by cautioning them to no sooner “put the intoxicating cup to his lips than he would give his back to the lash of the slave driver” (Herd, 1991). It has been noted that the growth of the African American church during this time also had a significant influence on the drinking behaviors of African Americans by promoting abstinence and moderate drinking patterns (James & Johnson, 1996). During the mid-19th century, after the prohibition of slavery, the frequency and quantity of use among African Americans remained for the most part unchanged. According to an 1880 census report, fewer African Americans compared to European Americans died from alcoholism: 0.7 per thousand deaths for African Americans, compared to 6.7 for Irish, 2.7 for Germans, and 2.5 for other
