Pennsylvania's Early Blue Laws: A Quaker Experiment in the Suppressions of Sports and Amusements,

In Thomas Jable's book; "Pennsylvania's Early Blue Laws: A Quaker Experiment in the Suppressions of Sports and Amusements," It is shown that when the Quaker colony was first created it was to be a place free of religious persecution for the Quakers. The founder of the society, William Penn, felt that although this was to be a free society, there needed to be some laws to keep its citizens in place. These laws prohibited people from engaging in any forms of gambling, stage-plays, masques, animal fights, or any other form of entertainment that encouraged rude behavior. The Quakers had certain penalties that enforced these laws, which became to be known as "Blue Laws."

As Newcomers began to colonize different parts of Pennsylvania, the way of the Quakers was challenged. These newcomers participated in nearly everything the Quakers had tried to ban from their communities. Some Quakers began to act in ways that was not considered moral according to their codes. Taverns became common grounds for people to meet and partake in these activities that had been considered immoral. All of these changes challenged the Quakers and created problems within the community. Later the Quakers began to warn their own communities and their neighbors of what "loose and lewd behavior," could lead to. The Quakers began to realize that the code of the colony was not being obeyed. This led to a ban placed on different sports that were considered to be riotous. Some sports were prohibited such as ice-skating, sleighing, swimming, fishing and hunting.

The early Quakers who were later called the "Friends," worker tirelessly to suppress sports in Pennsylvania. The Friends, were ultimately unable to deter the need for people to enjoy themselves through these sports and eventually sports and other forms of entertainment became accepted in non-Quaker communities.

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