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Organization Origin and Background
The squadron arose informally at a meeting of the National Temperance Council around the year 1914. The National Temperance Council was an organization established in 1913, which sought to coordinate the activities and events of multiple groups involved in the temperance movement, in order to achieve the goal of prohibiting the sale and production of alcohol. The council was headed mostly by former Indiana Governor Frank Hanley. Eventually, Hanley came to head the Flying Squadron, which campaigned nationwide to promote the temperance movement in the United states from 1914-1915. Hanley's time as governor was marked by tensions and controversy regarding the sale of alcohol: his central political issue during his time in office. During his time, he committed to strengthening public policy with respect to liquor production and consumption. In an article in the Jasper Weekly Courier, an Indiana newspaper, Hanley stated "I have seen so much of the evils of the liquor traffic in the last four years, so much of its economic waste, so much of the physical ruin, so much of its mental blight, so much of its tears and heartache, that I have come to regard the business as one that must be held and controlled by strong and effective laws". Hanley as well other speakers and performers used this type of emotional saturation and language to convey the message of temperance across various locations in the United States.

Flying Squadron Members
The organization consisted of not only revivalist-like speakers but also singers, in order to enhance the message and make it more appealing to American audiences as they traveled universities, city centers, and other public spaces. In addition to Frank Hanly,members of the organization include:
 * Ella A. Boole
 * Eugene W. Chafin
 * Carolyn E. Geisel
 * Rev U. E. Harding
 * Clinton N Howard
 * Ira Landrith
 * John B. Lewis
 * Daniel A. Poling
 * Charles Scanlon
 * Charles Sheldon
 * Wilbur Fletcher Sheridan
 * Ella Seass Stewart
 * Oliver W. Stewart
 * Culla J. Vayhinger
 * Clarence True Wilson
 * refer to Footnote 3, for information regarding above mentioned speakers

In addition to devoted politicians and individuals to the cause of prohibition, many of the members were a part of significant organizations such as the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, which was among the first organizations of women to be devoted to the elimination of alcohol. The simultaneous events of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union coupled with the activity of the Flying Squadron amplified the message of prohibition throughout the United States. The expansive nature of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, reaching multiple countries and cities, and the fact that some members of the Flying Squadron were also active in the WCTU worked to the organization's advantage. Ella A. Boole, as an important leader and eventual president of the WCTU, was able to draw attention to the squadron through her speeches throughout the country. 

Speeches and Performances
To convey their message effectively throughout America, members of the squadron utilized emotional saturation and themes from christianity. In her speech titled "Patriotic Problems," Boole refers to alcohol as questioning the integrity of "public health, public morals, and evangelism." At the core of their speeches, speakers claimed that the elimination of alcohol would bring about a "better world". Hanley's speeches illustrate the type of emotional saturation used to emphasize the message of prohibition. In his speech “I Hate It,” Hanley, posits that alcohol not only “imposes mental ruin upon its victims” but also “commits crimes, destroys homes, and breaks hearts." The speech titled “Saloon Keeping is a Legitimate Business” by Clarence True Wilson also illustrates the same delivery that Hanley used. In this speech, Wilson states that “saloons is[are] places of shame,” where crimes against society are committed. He also states that the system of buying and selling alcohol is a “colossal blunder, lame in logic, and a failure in practice” that leads to the “destruction of sons and daughters.” With this language, speakers and performers were able to cause audience members to think of alcohol in relation to the well-being of their families and the country as a whole and ultimately gain support for the cause of prohibition.

Public Reception to the Organization
The most notable effect of the squadron is prohibition, from the years 1920 and 1933; this elimination was deemed as a "noble experiment." However, even though the squadron and other anti-alcohol organizations eventually gained enough momentum for prohibition to go into effect, there were still negative reactions from the American public. Some critics made statements such as “prohibition has made nothing but trouble,” “prohibition is the trigger of crime,” and that eliminating alcohol was “foolish” Eventually, enough negative thoughts regarding prohibition gained momentum, that the act of prohibiting alcohol was repealed in the winter of 1933. On December 5, 1933, in a proclamation, President Franklin D. Roosevelt repealed prohibition.