Cause Of Book Censorship In The United States

Words: 1330
Pages: 6
Open Document
Jillian Harrington
Denille Sprague
English 10
29 November 2014
Book Censorship As long as humans have roamed this earth, there has been conflict, and clashings of opinions. With conflict comes censorship in all its forms, such as book censorship. Book censorship is a “form of censorship that attempts to control the dissemination of thoughts and ideas that some groups in society believe to be harmful.” Often, books were (and still are) banned for political or religious reasons. Censorship was more easily defined when all books were handwritten, but it is still prevalent today despite major advancements in technology. Controversy is a cause of book censorship, and effects of this include potential violations of the 1st amendment, counter-productivity, …show more content…
In 1450, with the invention of the printing press came the beginnings of book censorship. Because it was often impossible to find and destroy all copies of a book, the practice of burning books became a widely symbolic one. Still, officials continued trying to command access to certain information and topics. For example, forty years after the invention of the printing press, the first official German censorship office was opened. In the United States, the first case of book censorship occurred in Springfield, Massachusetts in the year 1650. Book banning was repeatedly supported at the national level, with federal laws, such as the Comstock Law of 1873, making it a crime to “to distribute ‘obscene, lewd, and/or lascivious” materials through the mail”. In the 1920’s, existing standards became challenged, and in the 1930’s, the Nazi book burnings made up many citizen’s minds either for or against censorship. Although definitions have changed and rules bended, the theory behind book censorship has remained more or less the …show more content…
Banned Books Week was established in 1982, and “celebrates the freedom to read and to select from a full array of possibilities.” It is sponsored by the ALA, and is held during the last week of September each year. It highlights "... the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States." This event is important because it raises awareness for book censorship in this day and age, for many Americans are unaware and uneducated on this topic. The supporters recognize diligence is necessary in keeping the ethic of free speech. While they may not always be dealing with printing of books being discontinued, books being taken down from shelves is an issue in their eyes, or even just as important. Their goals are often accomplished as these events make Americans curious and obsessed with the thought of reading something that was controversial enough to be banned, making attempts at censorship
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