Memorial on Spirit Rations in the Navy
12/13/1843
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Since 1794, sailors in the U.S. Navy were entitled to a daily “spirit ration” of 1/2 pint of distilled alcohol. By the 1840s, temperance reformers were agitating to end the ration. This enormous 1843 petition measures over 10 feet long and contains the signatures of almost 400 individuals. Its signers agreed that “the use of intoxicating liquors...creates and confirms vicious appetites, fosters habits of intemperance, and vice, [and] predisposes the human system to disease.” The ration was banned in 1862, but officers continued to enjoy their “wine mess” until 1914.
This primary source comes from the Records of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Full Citation: Memorial on Spirit Rations in the Navy; 12/13/1843; Petitions and Memorials, 1822 - 1946; Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, Record Group 233; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/memorial-on-spirit-rations, May 4, 2024]