Select Temperance Tracts

Select Temperance Tracts by the American Tract Society brings together a powerful collection of nineteenth-century essays, addresses, and narratives that shaped America’s temperance movement. Combining medical analysis, moral argument, and vivid storytelling, these tracts range from Benjamin Rush’s clinical “Effects of Ardent Spirits upon the Human Body and Mind” to sermons, appeals to youth, debates, and reforming tales aimed at curbing alcohol consumption. This nonfiction Science collection reflects the era’s blend of early public-health reasoning and religious-moral persuasion. Readers will encounter scientific discussions of the physiological and psychological effects of distilled liquors, examinations of the distilling trade, legal and ethical debates, and popular parables used to sway public opinion. The material captures the social context of antebellum reform—where clergy, physicians, and educators joined forces to address alcoholism as both a medical problem and a social ill. Ideal for listeners interested in the history of medicine, public health policy, social reform, or rhetorical strategy, this audiobook offers a revealing window into how scientific argumentation and moral conviction were used to influence 19th-century public life. Listen to understand the roots of modern temperance debates and the early intersection of science and social activism.