Pennsylvania Sunday blue laws, 1921-1967.

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Pennsylvania Sunday blue laws, 1921-1967.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/56791282

This collection mostly consists of papers of various types concerning Musmanno's efforts to amend Pennsylvania's "Blue Laws", which were intended to strictly limit the activities citizens might engage in on Sundays. About half the papers consist of legislative materials pertaining to these efforts and correspondence concerning the laws and their potential amendment. The rest of the collection consists of petitions, speeches, newspaper articles and other published materials, and handwritten notes. The bulk of the material is from 1921 to 1933, with some material from 1958 and 1967. The papers show the evolution of the amendment efforts from the beginning through eventual ratification. The correspondence gives good insight into the attitudes and opinions of people from many walks of life as they pertained to the efforts to amend these laws. Many of the materials lack exact dates, some having no date at all, and the handwritten notes are virtually unintelligible. The collection is relevant to the life of Judge Musmanno because of his instrumental role in the entire process of getting these laws amended, and it also gives insight into how the Blue Laws affected life and the struggle to amend them.

2/3 cubic ft.

Duquesne University Library, Gumberg Library

Information

SNAC Resource ID: 7756854

Duquesne University Library, Gumberg Library

Related Entities

There are 1 Entities related to this resource.

Musmanno, Michael A. (Michael Angelo), 1897-1968

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6sj3k30 (person)

Michael A. Musmanno was a member of the Pennsylvania State Legislature from 1929 to 1931. He authored a bill outlawing the Coal and Iron Police in western Pennsylvania. He also authored the movie script, and later the novel, Black fury which fictionalized the story of John Barkowski, an employee of the Pittsbugth Coal Company who was beaten to death by the Coal and Iron Police for no apparent reason. Musmanno represented Mrs. Sophia Barkowski in the Barkowski case against three members of the Co...