Censorship

Knowledge is powerful, dangerous, and deadly!

What is intellectual freedom? The right of every individual to both seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction. American Library Association

Fact : Intellectual Freedom is a right guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

Bill of Rights, 1791 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...

 the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unpopular.  the freedom to choose what to read First Amendment Rights Include

“If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the Government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable.” Supreme Court Justice William Brennan Supreme Court Justice William Brennan

What is Censorship? The suppression of ideas and information that certain individuals and groups find objectionable or dangerous.

Censorship results in: the removal, or restricted access to literary, artistic, or educational materials including: images, ideas, information on the grounds that these are morally or otherwise objectionable

W hat are the most frequently censored materials?

2 Ways Censorship Happens Book Ch allenge Book Banning

What is a book challenge? An attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. American Library Association

What is book banning? The removal of materials from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others. American Library Association

What is the difference between a Challenge and a Banning? Challenge = the attempt to remove or restrict access to materials. Banning = the removal of those materials

What are the most common reasons that books are banned?  Sexual content  Offensive Language  Political grounds  Religious grounds  Violence

Why are books challenged? Books are usually challenged with the best intentions- to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information.

Isn’t there some stuff that should be censored? Yes. Some of following are not protected by the First Amendment.  Obscenity  Pornography  Information essential to national security  Hate Speech

Why Should I Care If People Ban Books ? It’s not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written. The books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers. Judy Blume

The Temperature at which Books Burn ~ A book about censorship that was censored

A stand can be made against invasion by an army; no stand can be made against invasion by an idea. Victor Hugo “Histoire d’un Crime”

Germany, 1933

U. S. A. 1982

Don’t join the book burners. Don’t think you’re going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed. Dwight D. Eisenhower 1953

What do you think?