The Molly Pitcher Club was founded in 1922 as a woman's anti-prohibition organization. They argued that drinking itself was not illegal and so the government should not get involved with a personal and private choice.

History

The Molly Pitcher Club was created in 1922 by M. Louise Gross

M. Louise Gross

M. Louise Gross was secretary to New York City Tammany Hall district leader Thomas F. Foley, a close associate of Al Smith. She served in leadership positions in repeal of prohibition organizations including the Molly Pitcher Club, the Women's Moderation Union, and the Women's Committee for...

 to campaign for the repeal of prohibition

Repeal of Prohibition

The Repeal of Prohibition in the United States was accomplished with the passage of the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution on December 5, 1933.-Background:...

., which began in the Unietd States in 1920. The organization was named after a Revolutionary War folklore heroine, Molly Pitcher

Molly Pitcher

Molly Pitcher was a nickname given to a woman said to have fought in the American Revolutionary War, who is generally believed to have been Mary Ludwig Hays...

. Molly Pitcher was the name given to women who carried water to men on the battlefield during the American Revolution. The stated purpose of the Molly Pitchers was to prevent "any tendency on the part of our National Government to interfere with the personal habits of the American people except those habits which may be designated as criminal."

Although they had nation aspirations, the group was limited to New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 and held meetings at the Ritz Carlton Hotel

Ritz-Carlton

The Ritz-Carlton is a brand of luxury hotels and resorts with 75 properties located in major cities and resorts in 24 countries worldwide...

 and Delmonico's.

In 1923 a group of 120 women from the Molly Pitcher Club arrived in Albany

Albany, New York

Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...

 to urge Governor Al Smith

Al Smith

Alfred Emanuel Smith. , known in private and public life as Al Smith, was an American statesman who was elected the 42nd Governor of New York three times, and was the Democratic U.S. presidential candidate in 1928...

 to repeal the state prohibition enforcement measure called the Mullan-Gage Act. This march was the Club's largest activity and faded quickly thereafter. Gross explained that the "activities of the Molly Pitcher Club subsided because there was nothing of importance in the prohibition field for it to do."

The Club's attempt to expand its all-female membership was limited by its direct relationship to the Association Against the Prohibition Amendment

Association Against the Prohibition Amendment

The Association Against the Prohibition Amendment was established in 1918 and became a leading organization working for the repeal of prohibition in the United States.- Background :...

, which was larger, national, and accepted both men and women.

Sources

• Kenneth D. Rose, American Women and the Repeal of Prohibition, American Social Experience Series, no. 33, (New York University Press, 1966)
• Grace C. Root, Women and Repeal: The Story of the Women's Organization for National Prohibition Repeal (NY: Harper & Brothers, 1934)