Why do we still have daylight savings in the US?

Daylight savings are when the clocks move forwards or back an hour in Spring and Fall, giving citizens an extra 60 minutes in their days by waking up or going to bed slightly earlier or later than usual.

They've been a thing in the USA since 1919 and became more common in the 1990s but face opposition from almost 30 states.

It had particular historical value to farmers, who gained an extra hour to cultivate and harvest crops which benefitted the wider community and nations/kingdoms.

In the United States, it has been used to remove the dependency on oil and power by shifting the times back to when the sun is rising and there is more visible light.

Daylight savings will conclude on November 3th, on the first Sunday of the month, at 2am.

A history of daylight savings in the US

It was introduced by Congress during the First World War to maximize industrial output before, according to the University of Colorado Boulder, it was repealed in 1919 at the conclusion of the four-year-long conflict.

When the United States entered the Second World War against the Axis powers following the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour, Congress reintroduced daylight savings in 1942 and it remained until 1966 when it was made permanent by the Uniform Time Act.

In 1973, the USA attempted to observe the tradition all-year-round as there was an energy crisis at the time, but it soon proved unpopular as American parents had to send their children to school during the dark and feared an increase of accidents due to the poor visibility.

In 1974, Gerald Ford the then-President, signed a bill that reintroduced standard time for four months and that is how it has remained despite continued opposition to this day.

Current opposition

At the moment, 29 states such as Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Colorado all oppose the current system, with those four in particular enacting legislation and resolutions in 2022 to change it.

Kentucky and Mississippi have also approved legislation, California wants a change and Massachusetts is currently investigating the pros and cons of a potential change.

Of the 29, most are stalled in the state legislature phase and many have failed to pass. Oklahoma referred the matter to the House of Representatives after gaining state approval although there is currently no action, likewise with Texas.