Neal Dow was born to a Quaker family in Portland, Maine and was named "Napoleon of Temperance" and the "Father of Prohibition." Many of his action help justify these nickname. Starting from a young age, he believed that alcohol is the root of all problems of society and was responsible for the downfall of families, homes, individuals, and fortunes. An early example of his prohibition efforts was being one of the founding members of Maine Temperance Society. Maine Temperance Society primarily purpose was to give awareness of the evil of distilled beverages. Another example was that he was elected to be president of the Maine Temperance Union, which was separate from Maine temperance Society due to their split in the decision whether wine and
