in the hopes of using the power of the ballot to control the use of alcohol. In an era where
the Catholic and immigrant population was growing, however, temperance was closely
New Jersey (WCTUNJ) was organized in 1874 in Newark. Although the movement initially
As early as 1883, African American women organized into separate temperance
all counties except Bergen, including three unions of African American women. Local
unions in Middlesex County were located in New Brunswick and Dunellen. In 1884, the
County. By 1885, unions had been founded in Woodbridge and Perth Amboy as well. In
unequivocally for equal franchise, believing it to be the surest method of overthrowing
women’s clubs, creating a women’s network that would bear fruit in the coming decades.
a permanent organization. A new generation of women leaders emerged who had ties to
the WCTUNJ and the women’s club movement. Middlesex County was represented by
18
In 1884, the annual