Persuasive Essay On Banned Books

Banned Books in the United States of America Books are usually discriminated against with good intentions. But books shouldn’t be banned because of fear of what someone will eventually find out. Research shows that the practice of banning books is a violation of the First Amendment to the Constitution. In 2012, there were a total of 464 attempts to ban books. Does this benefit us? Citizens in the U.S. should have access to banned books because they provide us with knowledge and information, the people of America can make decisions on what is appropriate to read, and the government should not restrict what we have access to if we live in a free country. Books are often challenged in order to protect children from inappropriate content. Banning try not to start a sentence with but books is restricting what an author has to say and violates the right to freedom of speech and freedom of the press. During the week of September 22 to September 26, Banned Books Week is celebrated to embrace the freedom to read. Banned Books Week was founded in 1982 to respond to the unexpected rise in challenges to books in schools, libraries, and stores. Since 1982, 11,300 books have been challenged. The American Library Association estimates that 70-80% of challenged books are never reported. …show more content…
Classic works such as To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee) and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou) have been under fire for many years. They have been accused of containing “...obscene, heretical, or subversive elements” (Donelson “The Students’ Right to Read”). Granted, some may be offensive subjects but we must learn about what's happened in order to set a precedent on what we can do in the future. Censorship on books only denies us progress. Attempts at banning books addresses only the emotional and mental aspect of the problem, not the educational