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1838 antique TEMPERANCE COMMITTEE OF VIGILANCE boston ma circular BREWER repeal
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Rare Boston, Massachusetts political and temperance circular dated July 16, 1838, measuring approximately 8 x 10 inches when folded. This original printed circular was issued by the Committee of Vigilance during the heated public controversy surrounding Massachusetts' liquor licensing laws. The piece was folded and mailed in letter form and retains its original address panel, bearing a manuscript address to BENJAMIN DODD of Boston.
The circular advises the recipient that he has been chosen as a member of the Committee of Vigilance for Ward 1, an organization formed to coordinate opposition to the recently enacted "License Law." The text states that the committee's duty is to use "all honorable means to obtain a repeal of the late License Law," organize local ward members, fill vacancies, increase committee membership, and report activities to the standing committee.
The document is directly connected to the major Massachusetts temperance controversy of 1838. The "late License Law" referred to the recently enacted liquor legislation that became a focal point of political debate between temperance advocates and their opponents. As a result, this circular represents an early piece of organized American reform and political activism connected to the broader Temperance Movement.
Printed names include D. L. Gibbens, Gardner Brewer, P. S. Shelton, Moses Williams, Silas Pierce, E. P. Hartshorn, and James Leeds, Jr., along with a substantial roster of Ward 1 committee members including Simon W. Robinson, Abraham A. Moore, Levi R. Moore, Edward Bell, David Marden, David Barnard, Charles Appleton, Christopher Gore Jr., James H. Bennett, Samuel C. Bradshaw Jr., Clark Brewer, Benjamin Dodd, Samuel E. Holbrook, Daniel F. Hunting, James S. Wiggin, George Low, and John B. Wells.
An excellent research piece for collectors of Temperance Movement material, Massachusetts political history, Boston ephemera, reform movements, anti-liquor legislation, genealogy, and early American printed documents. The combination of the historical temperance-law content and the large number of identifiable Boston residents gives the piece significance beyond a typical circular.
The phrase "repeal of the late License Law" in your circular refers to Massachusetts' controversial 1838 liquor licensing law, often called the "Fifteen Gallon Law." The law was backed by temperance reformers and prohibited the sale of distilled spirits in quantities of less than fifteen gallons, making ordinary retail liquor sales effectively impossible.
In plain English, the circular is telling Gardner Brewer and the other men named that they have been appointed to a Committee of Vigilance whose purpose is:
To organize political pressure and public action to overturn (repeal) the recently enacted liquor law.
The term "late License Law" means the recently passed licensing law, not an old one. The document is therefore part of the heated political fight over temperance legislation in Massachusetts during 1838–1839.
Authentic period piece related to family, historyor local heritage - well-suited for historical collections, genealogical /genealogy research, or museum acquisition.Vintage or Antique.
CONDITION: See listing description and photos.
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