User:Oughtta Be Otters/sandbox/Book censorship in the united states: Difference between revisions
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[[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> In recent years, about three-fourths of books subject to censorship in the US are for children, pre-teenagers, and teenagers.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Creamer |first=Ella |date=2023-09-22 |title=‘Eating away at democracy’: book bans in US public schools rise by a third in a year |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/sep/22/democracy-book-bans-us-public-schools-rise |access-date=2024-04-27 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
In the [[debate over book censorship in the United States]], “freedom to read” proponents cite traditions and legal precedent building upon the Constitution of the United States, particularly the First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendments.<ref>{{Cite web |last=American Library Association |date=2008-06-13 |title=First Amendment and Censorship |url=https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/censorship |access-date=2024-04-25 |website=American Library Association |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-09-20 |title=The Freedom to Read {{!}} ACLU of Oregon |url=https://www.aclu-or.org/en/freedom-read |access-date=2024-04-25 |website=www.aclu-or.org |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |last2= |last3= |date=2024-01-11 |title=From Iowa to Florida, national lawsuits against local book bans begin to gain traction |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2024-01-11/from-iowa-to-florida-lawsuits-against-book-bans-begin-to-gain-traction |access-date=2024-04-25 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> Much of the justification for censorship over the years has cenetered on definitions of obscenity and questions about the perceived moral qualities of various books’ content.<ref>Steele, Jennifer. (2020). A History of Censorship in the United States. Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy. 5. 6-19. </ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2016-10-25 |title=Banned Book FAQ |url=https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/banned-books-qa |access-date=2024-04-26 |website=American Library Asociation |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Wood |first=Sarah |date=2022-05-17 |title=Book Bans: What to Know |url=https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/articles/book-bans-what-to-know |access-date=2024-04-20 |work=US News and World Report}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Schaper |first=Arthur |date=2023-05-20 |title=Op-ed: MassResistance continues fight |url=https://www.newsandsentinel.com/opinion/local-columns/2023/05/op-ed-massresistance-continues-fight/ |access-date=2024-04-27 |website=News and Sentinel (Parkersburg, WV) |language=en-US}}</ref>
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# Redaction: striking through or covering sections of materials so they cannot be seen by readers.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Knox |first=Emily J.M. |title=Foundations of Intellectual Freedom |publisher=American Library Association |year=2022 |isbn=9780838937457 |location=United States |pages=6-7}}</ref>
Book censorship has often been initiated by a book “challenge,” or a request to remove a book from a library or other location.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Banned Books Home – Marshall Libraries |url=https://www.marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/ |access-date=2024-04-27 |language=en-US}}</ref> Many libraries and other educational institutions have “reconsideration policies” in place that lay out how to file a challenge and what will happen after one has been filed.<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal |last=Dawkins |first=April M |last2=Eidson |first2=Emily C |date=2021 |title=A Content Analysis of District School Library Selection Policies in the United States |url=https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1329025.pdf |journal=School Library Research |volume=24 |pages=1-27 |via=ERIC}}</ref> These policies exist to make the challenge process transparent and consistent and to support due process.<ref name=":6" /> Usually an administrator or a committee will consider the challenge and the text, and make a determination.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Blunt |first=Johnnie Romon |title=Book Challenges in School & Public Libraries: Identifying Frequently Challenged Books |url=https://guides.lib.uni.edu/bookchallenges/lists |access-date=2024-04-27 |website=University of Northern Iowa |language=en}}</ref> If the challenge is supported by the reconsideration process, the book will be removed from the library collection, school, etc.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Yorio |first=Kara |title=Censorship Attempts Will Have a Long-lasting Impact on School Library Collections, SLJ Survey Shows |url=https://www.slj.com/story/censorship-attempts-will-have-a-long-lasting-impact-on-school-library-collections-slj-survey-shows |access-date=2024-04-27 |website=School Library Journal}}</ref> A “banned book” is one that has been "removed from a library, classroom, etc."<ref name=":5" /> Since 2021, the rise in book challenges nationwide has
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