Anti-Profanity Leagues were prominent organizations within a movement active in the early 20th century dedicated to campaigning against profane language. Figures like Arthur S. Colborne, who founded an organization around 1902 and was its president for decades, and Reverend Roland D. Sawyer, credited with organizing his own league around the same time, and serving as its general secretary, were prominent in this effort. These leagues, sometimes established independently, sought to combat what some saw as a national vice or disgrace.

Operating with a zeal similar to other Progressive Era reforms aimed at improving public morals, the Leagues aimed to reshape public discourse and individual behavior. They considered profanity a public nuisance that degraded the speaker and showed disrespect. Their methods were practical and varied, including the widespread distribution of anti-swearing literature like cards, tracts, and mottoes, encouraging individuals to take pledges against swearing. They also used public addresses and sermons to raise awareness and advocated for enforcing laws against public swearing. The movement's reach extended across many states and even internationally.

UNH sophomore, Evan Christensen, recipient of the Roland D. Sawyer Scholarship, will discuss Anti-Profanity League work and its impact on public discourse, as well as its relevance to today.

This program is made possible with generous funding from the Friends of the Moultonborough Library.