Is Government Censorship a Violation of Our Rights?
The First Amendment of the Constitution clearly states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” (First Amendment-U.S. Constitution) However, government censorship is still a heavily debated issue in the United States. How much power should the government really have to censor the things we see, read, hear, or learn, according to the First Amendment?
The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines the word ‘censor’ as: “to examine in order to suppress (see suppress 2) …show more content…
Between 1990 and 2000, more than 6,364 “challenges” were reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom. A challenge, according to the American Library Association, is “an attempt to remove or restrict materials [in a published book] based upon the objections of a person or group…Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others.” (Challenged Books) Of these 6,364 “challenges”, 71% were to schools or school libraries, while another 24% were to material in public libraries. 60% of the collective challenges were brought forth by parents, patrons, and administrators, their reasons being, but not limited to: ‘sexually explicit material’, ‘offensive language’, ‘material unsuited to age group’, ‘occult themes’, ‘violence’, ‘homosexual themes’, ‘religious promotion’, and ‘nudity’. (Schools and Censorship: Banned Books)
Many books, as a result of these challenges, have been banned from schools. Perhaps the most well-known banned book, Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger was embargoed for having offensive language, and being unsuited for certain age groups, as well as many others for various reasons. (Banned Books: Commonly Banned
The First Amendment of the Constitution clearly states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” (First Amendment-U.S. Constitution) However, government censorship is still a heavily debated issue in the United States. How much power should the government really have to censor the things we see, read, hear, or learn, according to the First Amendment?
The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines the word ‘censor’ as: “to examine in order to suppress (see suppress 2) …show more content…
Between 1990 and 2000, more than 6,364 “challenges” were reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom. A challenge, according to the American Library Association, is “an attempt to remove or restrict materials [in a published book] based upon the objections of a person or group…Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others.” (Challenged Books) Of these 6,364 “challenges”, 71% were to schools or school libraries, while another 24% were to material in public libraries. 60% of the collective challenges were brought forth by parents, patrons, and administrators, their reasons being, but not limited to: ‘sexually explicit material’, ‘offensive language’, ‘material unsuited to age group’, ‘occult themes’, ‘violence’, ‘homosexual themes’, ‘religious promotion’, and ‘nudity’. (Schools and Censorship: Banned Books)
Many books, as a result of these challenges, have been banned from schools. Perhaps the most well-known banned book, Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger was embargoed for having offensive language, and being unsuited for certain age groups, as well as many others for various reasons. (Banned Books: Commonly Banned