Sunday Laws And The Accompanying Culture War

When it comes to religious practices, specifically events that take place during Sunday, the Germans and the Anglo-Americans vary greatly but also share some of the same characteristics. Since Anglo-Americans were some of the first settlers in the united states they were able to instill certain Sunday practices through the use of the law and being in the majority. These Sunday laws Anglo-Americans where trying to protect gave the idea that Sunday should be a day of rest away from their civic duties that are required during the rest of the week. In contrast, Germans viewed Sunday as a day of pleasure and as a day to be enjoyed and cherish all things. Anglo-Americans spent their Sundays resting and pursuing religious freedom and honoring the Sabbath. When the Germans immigrated to the United States and letting their thoughts and practices on Sunday be free the Anglo-Americans did not like it at all. In fact, in 1852, 4th of July landed on a Sunday, forcing the Anglo-Americans to honor the Sabbath on Sunday and postpone celebration to Monday, the fifth, while German Americans celebrated on the fourth. This angered the Anglo-Americans because Germans are used to being able to drink on Sundays at a pub as long as a church service wasn’t currently being held. A lot of Germans began to pivot towards a similar style of the Anglo-Americans but didn’t really believe in the practice. Often Anglo-Americans would try to inflict legal action onto the Germans if a Sunday law was broke.

The article I chose clearly indicates that Germans treat their Sunday as a way of enjoying themselves. In the text it talks about a school going on a picnic during a Sunday but they also did it in a way that they marched through town to impose the fact they are not going to change their ways to the likes of the Anglo-Americans. So we can see this author is very opinionated and fights for German Sunday rights and not Anglo-American Sunday Practices.