6. Not all blue laws existed from colonial times
In 1953, the wise legislature of the state of Michigan enacted legislation which in part read, “It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to engage in the business of buying, selling, trading or exchanging new, used or second-hand motor vehicles…” At the time the city of Detroit was synonymous with the automobile. The law went even further, making it illegal to even offer to purchase a car, on what the law called, “the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday.” Although the law specified it applied to counties with populations over 130,000 people it became, in effect, a statewide mandate, with some car dealers themselves supporting it avidly.
Michigan was not alone, several states enacted laws which banned the sale of automobiles on Sunday, including private sales between individuals. One rationale for supporting the law was the inability to obtain financing and insurance on Sunday, since banks and insurance offices were closed. This was before most dealers offered their own financing options on the premises. In the states of Utah and Texas, car dealers were given the option of closing on either Saturday or Sunday. In North Dakota, dealers were allowed to remain open, but no sales were allowed to be made.