Censorship specifically in education has a long history in the United States. Censorship suppresses material deemed offensive (McKoy Lowery, 2023). Often censorship is discussed in history classrooms (Laats & Meehan, 2024) where economic or social events attempt to restrict or limit individual rights (Jaeger, Jennings-Roche, Taylor, et al., 2023). However, the target of censorship has shifted over time (Blakemore, 2023).
In the United States, book bans are an essential tool of censorship (Webb, n.d.). Further, book banning impedes democratic processes and encapsulates the divisive political rhetoric within the United States (Goncalves et al., 2024). Jaeger, Jennings-Roche, Taylor, et al. (2023) articulate the confluence of “access, policy, literacy, and politics” enhance censorship efforts (p. 2). Censorship through book bans is a long standing issue within the United States (Jaeger, Jennings-Roche, Taylor, et al., 2023). Without understanding the driving forces of the issue, it will continue to be a major issue.
Key points:
Censorship dates back to the origins of writing and book banning as a form of censorship is not new.
Through history, book banning has been largely used to control materials available to individuals.
The current period of time has largest amount of book bans since the 1950s
Book banning arises from someone deciding the content is inappropriate, obscene, objectionable or controversial
Current data collected focuses on public and school libraries
Push towards "soft censorship" in more recent times. Soft censoring includes hiding materials in restricted areas, not listing materials in databases, or not even purchasing materials
In 2022, library patrons sued Llano County officials for removing books from the Llano County Public Library. County officials and some residents pushed the public library to remove books as the content was objectionable.
After reviewing the link, what are your thoughts about the rights of citizens to access information? Should information be restricted? Why?
https://www.aclutx.org/sites/default/files/09.10.2024-little-v.-llano-county-aclu-amicus-brief-stamped.pdf