The Sunday Question in the Western Watchman 1859
Beginning in the 1850s, as soon as a splurge of German emigrants had just come to America, questions were raised on the laws revolving Sundays. Towards the end of the 1850s, Sunday had been established as a holy day and according to American law, should have nothing to do with labor, large gatherings and drinking. The Germans, however, were there to protest against this law and show their new home how they spent their religious day. For Germans, it was normal to spend a Sunday going to a range of festivities: from beer gardens to the theater to concerts, the Germans had a very lively and social Sunday. Americans believed it should be spent as a day of rest and to focus solely on worship.
In this article, from the Western Watchman in St. Louis, they talk about how the addition to these laws has saved their holy Sundays. A new superintendent had just taken charge and made a change to the amount of bars and taverns that had been selling on Sunday. Before, more than 5,000 “dram-shops” had been up and running every Sunday, but now there were none. The rates of arrests for “drunkenness, crime, or disorder” were none for some of the offices and the city was able to enjoy their ideal, quiet Sunday.
For the many Americans at the time this was amazing news, but however for the Germans it was demeaning. When the new group of Germans thought they could enjoy their regular traditions in a new opportunistic country, they were constantly judged for their lifestyles. This Sabbath Reform struck German owned breweries and business. A day where taverns and bars once thrived now didn’t even have the option to be open and to spread their culture through Missouri. Not only did it damage the traditions, economy, and respect of Germans, it also dismissed their views on religion and how they chose to spend their holy days. It no longer was Sundays filled with large gatherings and enthusiasm, but instead was a forced way to blend the Germans into the American lifestyle.
