User:Oughtta Be Otters/sandbox/Book censorship in the united states: Difference between revisions

[[Book censorship]], or the removal, suppression, or restricted circulation of literary, artistic, or educational books on the grounds that they are morally or otherwise objectionable, first appeared, in what is now known as the United States, in 1624 in modern-day Quincy, Massachusetts.<ref>Reichman, Henry (1993). [[iarchive:censorshipselect00henr|''Censorship and Selection: Issues and Answers for Schools. Revised''.]] Chicago: ALA Books. [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] [[Special:BookSources/978-0-8389-0798-6|<bdi>978-0-8389-0798-6</bdi>]].</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |last=Whitacre |first=Lindsay |title=Research Guides: Banned Books: History of Book Banning |url=https://guides.library.harvard.edu/c.php?g=1269000&p=9306840 |access-date=2024-04-25 |website=guides.library.harvard.edu |language=en}}</ref> While specific titles caused bouts of book censorship, with ''Uncle Tom’s Cabin'' frequently cited as the first book subject to a national ban, censorship of reading materials and their distribution remained sporadic in the United States until the Comstock Laws in 1873.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Blakemore |first=Erin |date=2023-04-24 |title=The history of book bans—and their changing targets—in the U.S. |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/history-of-book-bans-in-the-united-states |access-date=2024-04-25 |website=National Geographic |language=en}}</ref> It was in the early 20th century that book censorship became a more common practice and source of public debate.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brady |first=Amy |date=2016-09-22 |title=The History (and Present) of Banning Books in America |url=https://lithub.com/the-history-and-present-of-banning-books-in-america/ |access-date=2024-04-25 |website=Literary Hub |language=en-US}}</ref> Throughout the 20th and early 21st centuries there have been waves of attempts at widespread book censorship in the US. Since 2022, the country has seen a dramatic increase of attempted and successful censorship, with a 63% rise in reported cases between 2022 and 2023, including a substantial rise in challenges filed to hundreds of books at a time.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Italie |first=Hillel |title=New censorship report finds that over 4,000 books were targeted in US libraries in 2023 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/books/2024/03/14/american-library-association-2023-report-book-censorship/72975557007/ |access-date=2024-04-25 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Tovia |date=2024-03-14 |title=American Library Association report says book challenges soared in 2023 |url=https://www.npr.org/2024/03/14/1238678902/book-bans-libraries-american-library-association-schools |access-date=2024-04-24 |website=National Public Radio}}</ref>

 

 

Today, the target of book censorship may be either a print, electronic, or audiobook, or a curriculum that includes such sources.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ferri |first=Catherine E. |date=2024-02-26 |title=Book Banning Goes Digital: Libraries Suspending Their E-Book Services and the Complications It Poses for First Amendment Doctrine |url=https://law.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Publish_27-STLR-127-2024_Book-Banning-Goes-Digital.pdf |journal=Stanford Technology Law Review |volume=27 |pages=127-179}}</ref><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gadd |first=Chris |date=2022-09-19 |title=Williamson County library backs 'Banned Book Week' after schools remove book |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/williamson/2022/09/20/williamson-county-library-banned-book-week-after-schools-remove-book/69498840007/ |access-date=2024-04-26 |website=The Tennessean |language=en-US}}</ref> Targeted texts may be held by a business such as a bookstore; a library, either a public library or one located in a school or university; or the school or university as a whole.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Webb |first=Susan L. |date=2023-08-08 |title=Book Banning |url=https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/book-banning/ |access-date=2024-04-25 |website=The Free Speech Center at Middle Tennissee State University |language=en-US}}</ref> The entity requesting censorship may be an organization, private individual, or government official.<ref name=":0" />

 

 

== Definition and terminology ==