What are the United States Statutes at Large?,Statutes at Large


Okay, let’s break down the information regarding “United States Statutes at Large, Volume 55, 77th Congress, 1st Session” published on May 9, 2025, according to the provided source. (Note: Given the date is in the future, this is based on the assumption we’re extrapolating from the historical context of the Statutes at Large).

What are the United States Statutes at Large?

Think of the United States Statutes at Large as the official, chronological record of all laws (Acts of Congress) passed by the U.S. Congress. It’s the primary source for finding the exact wording of a law as it was originally enacted. It’s different from the United States Code (U.S.C.).

  • Statutes at Large: Presents laws in the order they were passed, exactly as they were written. It’s a historical record. It shows amendments and repeals as separate pieces of legislation.
  • United States Code: Organizes laws by subject matter. It’s a consolidation, showing the current state of the law, incorporating amendments and repeals. If you want to know what the law is today, you look at the U.S. Code. If you want to see what the law said when it was passed and the surrounding legislative history, you look at the Statutes at Large.

Understanding the Citation: “United States Statutes at Large, Volume 55, 77th Congress, 1st Session”

Let’s dissect this citation:

  • United States Statutes at Large: As explained above, the official record of laws.
  • Volume 55: This indicates the specific volume number within the series. Each volume covers a particular period of time.
  • 77th Congress: The U.S. Congress operates in two-year terms. The 77th Congress was in session from January 3, 1941, to January 3, 1943.
  • 1st Session: Each Congress has two sessions, one for each year. The 1st Session of the 77th Congress was in 1941.

Therefore, “United States Statutes at Large, Volume 55, 77th Congress, 1st Session” contains the laws passed by the U.S. Congress during the first session of 1941.

Significance of the 77th Congress, 1st Session (1941)

The 77th Congress and especially its first session were pivotal because of:

  • World War II: The international situation was extremely tense. The United States was still officially neutral, but the global conflict was rapidly escalating. The first session included many laws related to national defense, mobilization, and aid to allies (like the Lend-Lease Act).
  • Economic Recovery: The New Deal programs initiated under President Franklin D. Roosevelt were still underway, and the focus remained on economic recovery from the Great Depression. Many laws addressed agriculture, public works, and social welfare.
  • President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Administration: FDR was in his third term as president, and his administration strongly influenced the legislative agenda.

Likely Contents of Volume 55

While I don’t have access to the content of a future publication, based on historical patterns and the context of 1941, Volume 55 of the Statutes at Large would likely include:

  • Defense-Related Acts: Legislation concerning the expansion of the military, funding for defense industries, and the regulation of exports related to war materials.
  • The Lend-Lease Act: Formally titled “An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States,” this allowed the U.S. to provide military aid to countries whose defense was deemed vital to the security of the U.S. It was a major step toward eventual U.S. involvement in WWII.
  • Appropriations Acts: These laws allocated funds to various government departments and agencies. Significant portions would have been dedicated to defense.
  • Laws Related to Labor and Employment: Legislation concerning working conditions, minimum wages, and collective bargaining.
  • Agricultural Legislation: Laws aimed at stabilizing agricultural markets and providing support to farmers.
  • Amendments to Existing Laws: Updates and changes to existing legislation on a wide range of topics.
  • Private Laws: Laws that benefit specific individuals or entities (these are much less common than public laws).
  • Laws relating to infrastructure: Laws related to road building, public utilities, and public works.
  • Laws related to immigration: Adjustments to current immigration laws.
  • Acts related to Native American affairs.

Finding the Actual Laws:

If you want to find the specific laws contained in Volume 55, you would need to:

  1. Access the Statutes at Large: The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) is the official source. Many law libraries and university libraries also have collections of the Statutes at Large.
  2. Locate Volume 55: Within the collection, find the physical volume labeled “Volume 55.”
  3. Browse or Search: The Statutes at Large is organized chronologically. You can browse the volume or use the index to find specific laws by topic or popular name.
  4. Online Resources: Govinfo.gov is an excellent resource and provides digitized versions of the Statutes at Large.

“Published on May 9, 2025”

The statement that it was published on May 9, 2025 is hypothetical since we are in 2024. Traditionally, there is a delay between the end of a congressional session and the publication of the corresponding Statutes at Large volume. This is because the laws must be compiled, edited, indexed, and printed.

In Summary

The “United States Statutes at Large, Volume 55, 77th Congress, 1st Session,” published on May 9, 2025, according to the prompt, refers to a collection of laws passed during a very important time in American history. This volume is an official and chronological record of the laws created at that time.


United States Statutes at Large, Volume 55, 77th Congress, 1st Session


The AI has delivered the news.

The following question was used to generate the response from Google Gemini:

At 2025-05-09 13:46, ‘United States Statutes at Large, Volume 55, 77th Congress, 1st Session’ was published according to Statutes at Large. Please write a detailed article with related information in an easy-to-understand manner. Please answer in English.


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