Arguments Against Censorship In America

“A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it. Take the shot from the weapon." (Bradbury 58) Censorship is the act of suppressing speech, works of literature, music, movies, work of arts, and ideas that are thought to be politically incorrect, offensive, and threatening to society. The United States Constitution states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances ( law.cornell.edu) However, historically, government officials and organizations have been “abridging” our freedoms since the inception of this

One of the key principles that make the country great is our freedom to say, write, and read whatever we want. Despite this, countless public figures and schools have chosen to restrict access to certain books, whether it’s in order to protect political correctness or explicit sexual content and violence. Rarely do these people stop and consider the dire effects book banning might have on both students and society as a whole. An author does not write because they are looking to offend someone, they right because they have a story to share. The First Amendment of the Constitution not only works to protect this right to the fullest extent possible, but also serves to protect the rights of the people that choose to be offended by these stories.

Censorship in Todays America Censorship has been a topic of debate for decades. Despite the existence of the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech, the United States has a long history of censoring literature. Most Americans believe that it is unethical to stifle freedom of expression, but often some of the First Amendment’s biggest supporters are its worst enemies. It shocks many to see how rampant it still is in the present day. This paper will show examples of how governments, religious institutions, and schools try to limit first amendment rights through censorship.

Children and teens should be able to access literature “free of restrictions” (70). Censors of young adult literature “fail to see” the similarities between their “desires to suppress information” about sexuality, violence, and religion and the “successful attempts by dictators to control their countries’ population” (70). Countries who have tried to implement censorship are practicing control over their citizens, which is why Canada should not suppress the population from any literature. If children are told they are not able to read books they are interested in or curious about they will be deterred from pursuing leisurely reading which limits their intellectual

“American citizens who care about the improvement of education are urged to join students, teachers, librarians, administrators, boards of education, and professional and scholarly organizations in support of the students’ right to read” (The Students Right to Read). Citizens should be allowed to stand up if they believe books should not be banned. It is important that writers should be able to have their books out to the public without getting banned. “Challengers often employ a definition that maintains that banning materials is the only true form of censorship,”(Knox 740). Censorship of books is common and a real problem.

Children just like us have a mind of their own and should be able to make their own decisions by themselves to either pick up the book or to leave it alone. Censorship does not exist in public places such as stores even though children enter stores everyday these kids have learned the decency of what they should or should not do they learned what they want and what they do not want what they like and what they do not like that should be a reason that children should be able to make censorship their choice.

Intro 1: What if your young child is looking through a book at your public library and comes across a topic that was way too mature for their mind set. Would you be okay with it? A big controversial issue that has been going on in the past year is if books should be banned. Now, no one is trying to banish libraries across the globe but people have requested to ban books that are inappropriate. This matter has grown to be worse because everyone has an opinion.

At one point in time, over 7,220 books have been challenged to be banned. Though these books have been removed for the safety of children, not all books should be banned for many reasons. These include the fact that banning books is infringing on the First Amendment, keeping children from understanding the real world, and, even though there are many reasons for book banning, not banning books could help a student’s education and can even work against itself. Banning a book from a school or public library could go against a person’s First Amendment of the freedom of press.

So, using book ratings, one can follow the ratings put there for them. From personal experiences not being censored has partially shaped who I am today. My parents don 't believe in censorship and would rather have their kids be prepared for what 's out there then rather a fantasy some parents make children believe. If one was censored they could 've been a completely different person then who they are today. Not being censored also opened up a range of things I may never have known if I was.

Censorship protects kids. In the article entitled “What Children Need is Censorship”, Aric Sigman remarks, “The difference between a child and an adult is that children are more vulnerable to the effects of everything from sunburn and alcohol to ideas and images.” Children are easily influenced most of the time. When they see adults doing things, they wanna do it, too. Sigman also says while free speech may be a laudable aim between adults, the concept is now being used primarily by commercial interests to speak freely to our children.

Books are an essential way to gain knowledge whether they are controversial or not. Thousands of books have been banned from public libraries and schools due to being deemed ‘inappropriate’ by parents, administrators, or religious leaders. Whether Americans should ban books in public libraries and schools is an often debated topic. This censorship of books is dangerous, as it restricts the American people's’ ability to access information, leaving Americans ignorant. Historically, banning books is not a new practice.

To start off, censorship is a controversial issue which dates back to ancient times, in ancient cultures for a multitude of reasons. However in America recently, older persons have tried to limit, filter, and censor what the youth have had access to. This includes print

Would you rather read a book of your choice or read a book that has been banned. ”Often challenges are motivated by a desire to protect children from “inappropriate” sexual content or “offensive” language. The following were the top three reasons cited for challenging materials as reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom: content was considered to be sexually explicit, contained offensive language, and the materials were unsuited to any age group.” Banned books give people a sense of curiosity and excitement, which is why more and more people want to read banned books; to see what the hype was about.

“Having the freedom to read and the freedom to choose is one of the best gifts my parents ever gave me,” Judy Blume. The issue is there are both pros and cons upon banning and challenging books. Some people may be all for it and believe their children should not be exposed to realism that comes from books ‘trying to protect them.’ What ever happened to the freedom of speech? Books are constantly challenged or even banned.

Not every censorship/ban book is that controversial no matter how many inappropriate issues are in there. That’s why Judy Blume, who is well known for being one of the most censored writers in America, has many of her books banned due to inappropriate content. In the essay, “The Censorship: A personal Review,” Judy Blume gave a much clear approach on how she felt when her books were censorship for controversial things for young adults and children. She even includes her personal experience when dealing with censorship in her early and adult life. In the essay.