1896- Intemperance as a Cause of Mortality

In “Intemperance As a Cause of Mortality,” Georgia Swift King outlines the ways intemperance leads to high levels of mortality among African American city dwellers, arguing that they are not only more susceptible to a range of disease but that they also endanger the next generation. She points to the “ignorant, drunken class of Negroes” as the true culprits (28). Interestingly, she does not ask for prohibition but rather concludes by asking for a state-funded reformatory for juvenile offenders who were tempted by alcohol and tobacco.