the leading organization lobbying for prohibition in the United States in the early 20th century. It was founded as a state society in Ohio in 1893, but its influence spread rapidly, and in 1895 it became a national organization. It drew most of its support from Protestant evangelical churches, and it lobbied at all levels of government for legislation to prohibit the manufacture and sale of intoxicating beverages. After the adoption of the Eighteenth (Prohibition) Amendment in 1919, the league sought strict enforcement of the Prohibition laws; but, after the repeal of that amendment in 1933, it ceased to be a force in American politics. In 1950 it merged with other groups to form the National Temperance League.