History of Book Bans – Literary Censorship in the USA

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The history of book bans shows it is not a new phenomenon. Literary censorship is as old as writing itself. However, the targets have shifted over the centuries. In the United States, book censorship emerged when some of the nation’s territories were British colonies.

The fight over banning books has been a hot topic in recent years, with a record-breaking number of attempts to ban books. Authorities have banned classical authors Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and William Shakespeare from classrooms. They deemed their content to be controversial, obscene, or otherwise objectionable.

Even modern authors like Judy Blume and her book – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret – have been challenged in United States schools for its portrayal of female puberty and religion. There are so many similar examples, but despite the controversies, the scope of this article doesn’t allow us to cover them all.

However, it does explore the important social issue of the history of book bans in the United States and the serious impact of literary censorship on society.

How the History of Book Bans and UK Censorship Impacted the US

Religious leaders were the main drivers of book censorship during the early colonial era in America. Great Britain has a long history of literary censorship, and the practice continued in the colonies.

In 1650, William Pynchon, a Massachusetts Bay colonist, published a pamphlet titled The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption. The pamphlet argued that anyone who followed Christian teachings and was obedient to God could go to heaven. This contradicted the Puritan Calvinist belief that only a select few were predestined for God’s favor. Pynchon’s fellow colonists accused him of heresy, burned his pamphlet, and banned it.

This was the first recorded instance of book banning in America. Only four copies of Pynchon’s controversial tract survive today.

Sensitivity to Anti-Slavery Writing

In the early 19th century, the issue of slavery in the United States became a hotly debated topic. Southern states were particularly sensitive to written material that contained anti-slavery sentiments. And by the 1850s, several states had banned such writing.

Despite this, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published in 1851. The book aimed to expose the evils of slavery. However, it was publicly burned and banned by slaveholders, along with other anti-slavery books. Even owning a copy of the book could lead to severe punishment. This was the case with Black minister Sam Green, who was sentenced to 10 years in the state penitentiary of Maryland.

As the Civil War raged on in the 1860s, the pro-slavery South continued to ban abolitionist materials, while Union authorities banned pro-Southern literature. The issue of slavery was one of the main causes of the Civil War. And its legacy still impacts race relations in the United States today.

Restriction of Access to Information

The Comstock Act

In 1873, the Comstock Act was passed by the US Congress, making it illegal to possess or send through the mail any texts or articles deemed to be obscene or immoral. The law was championed by Anthony Comstock. He was a moral crusader who sought to restrict the dissemination of knowledge about contraception and sexuality.

This was at a time when the knowledge was widely available via mail order. The Comstock Act was law until 1936.

Family Limitation Pamphlet forced Underground

Comstock had a significant impact on birth control advocates. It forced popular pamphlets, such as Margaret Sanger’s Family Limitation, underground. This restriction limited the dissemination of knowledge about contraception at a time when open discussion about sexuality was taboo, and infant and maternal mortality were rampant.

Boston Targeted

Boston became a prime target for book censorship in the history of book bans. The New England Watch and Ward Society was a private organisation which included Boston’s elite residents. It challenged printed materials it considered indecent.

The organisation sued booksellers, pressured law enforcement and courts to bring obscenity charges against authors. And it spurred the Boston Public Library to secrete copies of controversial books in a restricted room called the Inferno. The books included works by Balzac and Zola.

By the 1920s, Boston was notorious for banning books. This led authors to print their books there in the hope a ban would give them a publicity boost elsewhere in the US. Boston’s book censors challenged anything they considered indecent. They included Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass and Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms.

Takeaway

The Comstock Act and Boston’s book censorship were part of a larger effort to restrict access to information about sexuality, gender, and LGBTQ+ issues. These efforts, which included book burning and removal, had a significant impact on the availability of information. They covered:

• sexual content,
• death and grief, and
• topics deemed obscene or immoral.

Parents and Administrators Clash

As social norms relaxed in the 20th century, schools and libraries became places where parents and administrators argued about the kind of information that should be made available to children. They argued over fiction and nonfiction during school board and library commission meetings. It resulted in proposed bans on certain books.

The reasons for the proposals differed. Some were at odds with what was generally understood to be US history. Others were deemed to be problematic because of language, sexual or political content.

The Southern Hotbed

The deep South was ideal for book censorship. The United Daughters of the Confederacy successfully banned textbooks that were contrary to their view of the Civil War. Banning The Rabbits’ Wedding, a 1954 children’s book by Garth Williams was also attempted. It showed a white rabbit marrying a black rabbit, which was believed to encourage interracial relationships.

Book Censorship and Bans Affect Librarians

In the history of book bans, attempts to ban books tend to have a chilling effect on librarians, who may be afraid to acquire material that could be considered controversial. However, some school and public librarians began to organise instead. They rebutted opposition to books they believed fuelled communism and socialism after Worl War II.

They fought against attempted bans of classical books –

• Huckleberry Finn,
• The Catcher in the Rye,
• To Kill a Mockingbird, and
• The Canterbury Tales.

Record-breaking Book Bans

The American Library Association says there were a record-breaking number of attempts to ban books in 2022. They were up 38 percent from the previous year. According to data released by the American Library Association, there were almost 700 attempts to ban library books in the first eight months of 2023.

The organisation recorded 3,362 instances of book bans in public school classrooms and libraries between July 2022 and June 2023, affecting 1,557 different titles. The increase is affecting public schools and public education at large. Restrictions targeted public libraries more, where they can affect the curriculum and access to information for students.

First Amendment Rights to Information and Ideas

Freedom of speech and expression are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution. This includes the right to read. In 1969, the Supreme Court ruled in Tinker v. Des Moines that students have the right to free expression, even within the school environment. This decision affirmed that neither students nor teachers lost their constitutional rights to free expression at the schoolhouse gate.

In 1982, the Supreme Court addressed the issue of book censorship in Island Trees Union Free School District v. Pico. The court ruled that local school boards cannot remove books from libraries simply because they dislike the ideas contained within the books. This landmark decision affirmed students’ First Amendment rights to access information and ideas.

Despite the legal protections, librarians and educators still face challenges to intellectual freedom. In response to the increasing number of book challenges in the early 1980s, the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom created Banned Book Week. This annual event raises awareness about the importance of the freedom to read and highlights commonly challenged books.

The right to read is recognised by international human rights law. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948, recognises the freedom of expression as a fundamental human right. Upholding the freedom to read is essential for maintaining a democratic society that values free expression and the exchange of ideas.

21^st Century Book Censorship

Book censorship and bans are still prevalent in the 21^st century. Book challenges are becoming more common than ever. From July 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022, there were 1,586 book bans in 86 school districts across 26 states, which affected over two million students.

Major Targets

The American Library Association reports that stories featuring LGBTQ+ issues or protagonists were a major target of bans. Also books that deal with:

• race and racism,
• sexual content,
• sexual assault, and
• death and grief.

In the period, Texas had the most book bans, with 713 bans, nearly double that of other states.

Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer was the most challenged book of 2022, according to the American Library Association. Others include Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Alternatives to Literary Censorship

While outright censorship is one face of book bans, there are other ways to keep books out of readers’ hands. Secret places that can’t be found, altering the condition, or allocating reading levels that distance them from students are preventative measures that can be employed to restrict access.

According to First Amendment advocate Pat Scales, censorship is about control, while intellectual freedom is about respect. Scales, a veteran South Carolina middle and high-school librarian and former chair of the ALA’s Intellectual Freedom Committee, notes that challenges of any kind can create a chilling effect for librarians.

Raising Awareness of Restriction Dangers

Banned Books Week is celebrated annually in the last week of September to raise awareness of censorship and promote the freedom to read. The event was started in 1982 by the American Booksellers Association and the National Association of College Stores and is now celebrated globally.

Literary censorship is not a new phenomenon. Nazi Germany was one of the most infamous examples of book censorship. During the Holocaust, the Nazi regime burned books that were deemed to be un-German, including those written by Jewish authors. Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses is another example of a book that has been banned in several countries due to its controversial content.

Final Thoughts

The history of book bans and censorship show the prevalence persists in modern times. Strategies used to ban books include outright literary censorship, shelving books in inaccessible places, and marking them with reading levels that put them out of students’ reach. Banned Books Week is celebrated annually to raise awareness of censorship and promote the freedom to read. Literary censorship is not a new phenomenon, with Nazi Germany being one of the most infamous examples.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the history of book bans in schools?

Book bans in schools is a practice that has been around for centuries. The concept of banning books in schools dates back to the 19th century when anti-slavery material was restricted. Congress passed the Comstock Act in 1873, which prohibited the possession, sale, or sending by mail of obscene or immoral material.

Why books have been banned in the United States

There are many reasons why books have been banned in the US. Some books have been banned because of their content, such as sexual content, violence, or language. Other books have been banned because of their political or religious views. Some books have been banned because they have been deemed inappropriate for certain age groups.

What is the most frequently banned book in the US?

The most frequently banned book in the United States is The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. The book has been banned for its sexual content, offensive language, and its portrayal of teenage rebellion.

Which governments have banned books in the past?

Many governments have banned books in the past, including Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and China. These governments banned books that they deemed to be subversive or critical of their regimes.

What is the impact of book banning on literature?

Book bans have a negative impact on literature. They restrict the freedom of expression and limit the scope of literature. They also prevent readers from accessing important works of literature that may challenge their beliefs or broaden their perspectives.

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