History of Book Bans

Books bans, in some form or another, have existed in the US since the 1600s. However, the formality that surrounds book bans today did not exist historically. These historical book bans were often practices of burning certain texts, refusing to print them, or outlawing the carrying of them. Though different from modern-day book bans, these historical practices have the commonality of censorship at their core.

Below is a brief timeline detailing the history of book bans in the US:

1650:

In 1650, Massachusetts Bay colonist William Pynchon published The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption. This pamphlet argued that anyone who followed Christian teachings on Earth could get into heaven, which went against Puritan Calvinist beliefs that only a special few were predestined for God's favor. Pynchon was denounced as a heretic and his pamphlet was burned and banned (Blakemore).

First Half of the 19th Century:

Before and during the Civl War, anti-slavery content was censored in the South. By the 1850s, multiple states had outlawed expressing anti-slavery sentiments, verbally or in text. Because of this, Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin (1851), a novel that aimed to expose the evils of slavery, was publicly burned and banned by slaveholders, along with other anti-slavery books (Blakemore).

On the other side of the Civil War, while the pro-slavery South continued to ban anti-slavery and abolitionist materials, the Union banned pro-Southern literature like John Esten Cook's biography of Stonewall Jackson, who was a Confederate general and military officer (Blakemore).

1873-1936:

In 1873, the war against books went to a federal level with the passage of the Comstock Act, "a congressional law that made it illegal to possess 'obscene' or 'immoral' texts or articles or send them through the mail" (Blakemore). These laws were designed to ban content about sexuality and birth control, forcing popular pamphlets like Margaret Sanger's Family Limitation to disperse. These laws remained in effect until 1936 (Blakemore).

1982:

In 1980, librarians created Banned Book Week to contend with the sudden surge in book challenges. In the 20th century alone, there was Tinker v. Des Moines (1969), Island Trees Union Free School District v. Pico (1982), and many more cases that dealt with the constitutional right to read. During Banned Book Week, the literary and library community raises awareness about commonly challenged books and First Amendment freedoms (Blakemore).

Present Day:

Today, book bans and challenges are more prevalent than ever. In the 2023-2024 school year, there were more than 10,000 instances of banned books in public schools (PEN America). Out of the 4,218 unique titles banned during this school year, 36% of those titles featured characters of people of color, 25% featured LQBTQ+ characters or people, and 10% featured neurodivergent or disables characters or people (PEN America). On top of this, 67% of these banned books are specifically intended for young adults or younger audiences (PEN America). This censorship of books has educational implications that extend beyond a title's removal. With no sign of books bans slowing down, it's important to bring awareness to this issue as it needs immediate action.

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