Catalog Record:
The Square Dance Legislation Collection consists primarily of correspondence, copies of proposed legislation, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, and other publications that document the history of legislative efforts to designate the square dance as the national folk dance. The collection also includes material concerning related efforts at the state level. It spans the years 1975 to 1995, with the largest portion concerning the public hearing on House Resolution 1706 in 1984. National Western-style square dance organizations have fostered a movement to add square dance to the list of national symbols. Between 1965 and 1995, more than thirty bills were introduced at the federal level. Their efforts also have focused on passing legislation at the state level; by 1995 at least 17 states had designated square dance as the official folk dance of that state.
This collection arose out of the American Folklife Center's 1984 involvement with the House Subcommittee on Census and Population, which was then responsible for reviewing commemorative measures. This subcommittee turned to the Center for assistance and guidance in planning and developing the public hearing on H.R. 1706, a bill designating the square dance as the national dance of the United States. As an expert in American folk culture, Gerald E. Parsons, Reference Librarian for the Archive of Folk Culture, was detailed to help organize the hearing. The materials he accumulated for this task form the basis of this collection. Hearing testimonies, newspaper and magazine articles, and editorials in the collection provide insight into the perspectives of both proponents and opponents, while government documents trace the official legislative history.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein.
Series I consists of background information and administrative materials. Included is literature about modern Western-style square dance organizations and publications, material documenting related non-dance federal legislation, some administrative correspondence, and newspaper clippings about pertinent dance genres. Series II concerns federal legislation from 1975-1988. It contains copies of official government documents, correspondence, newspaper and magazine articles and other materials. Series III concerns state legislation from 1984 to 1995. It also contains copies of government documents, correspondence, newspaper and magazine articles, and related materials.
The collection is open for research use. Please contact the Folklife Reading Room before requesting materials: folklife@loc.gov or 202-707-5510.
Gerald E. Parsons, Reference Librarian for the Archive of Folk Culture gathered the materials as requested by Congress in an effort to evaluate the proposal to designate square dancing as the national folk dance of the United States. Accessioned, 1984 to 1995.
Square Dance Legislation Collection (AFC 1984/024), Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Administrative materials regarding the collection. One copy of the collection register.
Correspondence primarily between the American Folklife Center, the National Folk Dance Committee and the Sets in Order/American Square Dance Society concerning meetings held between their respective leaders.
Originals and copies of booklets, handouts, leaflets, magazine
articles, and magazine issues produced by the American Square Dance Society,
Legacy (International Assembly of Trustees of the Square Dance Activity),
Newspaper clippings on pertinent dance genres. Copies of two
articles from
Copies of United States Congressional Records, Statues at Large, Hearing Reports, memoranda, and newspaper articles concerning legislation related to national representative entities such as the anthem, symbol, tree, motto, seal, flower, and so forth. Loosely arranged chronologically (1789-1989) and by subject.
One copy of a one-page article, "The country squares off" (McCalls, 1972) that briefly mentions federal legislation. Copies of more than 50 brief newspaper articles from across the United States reporting that Representative Ted Risenhoover introduced a House Joint Resolution on July 31, 1975, to make square dance the national dance of the United States.
One copy each of the following resolutions: House Joint Resolution 69, Senate Joint Resolution 125, and House Joint Resolution 552. All concerned "designating the ‘square dance’ as the national folk dance of the United States of America."
Copies of the pertinent United States Congressional Record, Senate Joint Resolution 59, and Public Law 97- 188, the latter of which designates "the square dance as the national folk dance of the United States of America for 1982 and 1983." Included are copies of newspaper and magazine articles concerning the bill.
Copies of House Resolution 1706, "a bill to designate the square dance as the national folk dance of the United States," U.S. Congressional Records documenting the hearing on the bill, and a Congressional Record documenting the introduction of the Senate version, S.1448. Also included is a list of the members of the Committee on the Post Office and Civil Service, and the Committee Policy for Consideration of Commemorative Legislation.
Letters, sample form letters, drafts, and memoranda primarily between House Committee members, Library of Congress personnel, and interested parties outside the federal government. The correspondence documents the establishment of Reference Librarian Gerald E. Parsons' assistance to the subcommittee for the hearing, requests for testimony, results of the hearing, and responses to the outcome.
Originals and copies of correspondence from individuals and organizations addressed primarily to Chairwoman Katie Hall, Subcommittee on Census and Population, for and against H.R. 1706. Also included are submitted copies of testimony of some of the witnesses at the hearing.
Lists of names, addresses, and phone numbers of the following: witnesses testifying in opposition to H.R. 1706, pertinent Congressional Staff Directory listings, North American record companies, state folk cultural programs, and cultural organizations.
Draft of the report on the hearing held June 28, 1984, on H.R. 1706. Also includes scripts prepared for Chairwoman Hall (questions to ask witnesses).
Four copies of the final hearing report on H.R. 1706 published by the U.S. Government Printing Office that contains a transcript of the hearing held June 28, 1984, as well as letters and written testimonies submitted for the record.
Copies and original booklets, leaflets, administrative information, and charts distributed at the hearing displaying the pros and cons of the Hearing.
Coverage of the bill and hearing in national and local newspapers, as well as commentary on it in square dance magazines and folklife newsletters.
Copies of House Joint Resolution 316, "designating the square dance as the national folk dance of the United States for 1985 and 1986," a Congressional Record documenting action on the bill, and a Congressional Record documenting Senate Joint Resolution 425 on the same topic. Also included are magazine articles concerning the bill.
One copy of House Resolution 2067, "to designate the square
dance as the American folk dance of the United States." Copies of magazine
coverage and commentary in
One copy of the final hearing report published by the U.S. Government Printing Office that contains a transcript of the hearing as well as letters and written testimonies submitted for the record. Also includes the witness list and multiple copies of some testimony.
Newspaper articles, editorials, and magazine articles that report on or give opinions about state legislation to make the square dance the official folk dance of that state (e.g., West Virginia, Idaho, New Jersey, and Ohio). Magazine articles document the square dance organizations' efforts to lobby for these measures. Also included is the text of Maryland's Senate Bill 43, "declaring square dancing as the State folk dance," January 1994, and testimony against it.