Argumentative Essay On Censorship In Schools

Free Speech is considered by many to be the most important protections guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, and rightfully so. The ability to go and criticize any person or political idea is purely and American idea and it has shaped our culture in more ways than we will ever know. When people attempt to censor books and textbooks in classrooms and school libraries, they are infringing on the Constitutional rights of the children in said schools. Also as ruled in the supreme court case Tinker v. Des Moines, students do not leave their Constitutional rights at the door. Both sides of this argument are well grounded in logic, and both can find support in our laws and the Constitution. The argument for censorship in schools can be taken both
ways: on one hand it is a necessary step for protecting our children from being exposed to inappropriate content , but on the other, it can be an unconstitutional action that damages our schools and distorts history. For starters, let us define what censorship is, why it is a problem and where it can be found.
Censorship, by definition, is, "the control of the information and ideas circulated within a society." (gilc.org) It has also existed since the dawn of man. A former editor of the LA Times, Phil Kerby, is quoted saying: "Censorship is the strongest drive in human nature; sex is a weak second." According to Fox News, the LA Times does endorse some level of censorship when they banned letters from climate change skeptics. An extreme example of censorship is the book 1984 by George Orwell. The protagonist works for the Ministry of Truth, a group dedicated to censoring pretty much everything. The reason censorship is bad is because in a representative democracy like ours, it defeats its purpose. (freethoughtsblog.com) When you pick and choose what can be said by the people, you are shutting down that group in the democracy. When it comes to censoring US history books, it can be confusing as to what the censorer is attempting to do. Our government is based on the belief that "all people are created equal" and that all people have the right to say what they want to say, yet when someone censors history, they are infringing on the rights of the writer and the
reader. For some, the reasons for censorship are plenty. Most people challenge books due to its failure to be age appropriate, sexual situations or witchcraft. (libguides.butler.edu)(ncac.org) Between 1990 and 1998 there were over 5,250 challenged books. (ncac.org) Of those 5000 books, 1300 were challenged because the materials had content deemed "sexually explicit," 1130 books were challenged because they had " offensive language" an 1050 contained material "unsuited to the age group."(ncac.org) Parents are the group that challenges to books the most.(ala.org) However many think that censorship is wrong and unconstitutional. One of the most bias, yet accurate definitions of censorship is that it is "any attempt to limit the right to free speech." (zeitung-region.info) The Constitution states that "CONGRESS SHALL MAKE NO LAW...ABRIDGING THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH, OR OF THE PRESS." (Bill of Rights)Another problem with censoring books is that some of those books are considered to be some of the best literary works. For example, Uncle Tom's Cabin, one of the most influential books in American history, was at one point banned in Illinois, and during the Civil War, it was banned in all Southern States. Some more examples are: Of Mice and Men and Grapes of Wrath, both by John Steinbeck, and The Great Gatsby.(thejanuarist.com) Both of these viewpoints have strong support behind them be it Constitution or parental instinct, yet like all things, both have their flaws and both can be overdone.

Censorship has been a problem in the United States since its beginnings.
In our history there have been multiple Supreme Court Cases involving censorship and the right of free speech. (uslegal.com) An example is the case Counts v. Cedarville School District, when the school board decided to restrict students access to the Harry Potter series. It was shot down in the supreme court and the books were all sent back into circulation in the school libraries. (http://www.ala.org/) In the case Right to Read Defense Committee v. School Committee of the City of Chelsea, Justice Joseph L. Tauro ruled that, "the library is 'a mighty resource in the marketplace of ideas,'" and that, "the most effective antidote to the poison of mindless orthodoxy is ready access to a broad sweep of ideas and philosophies. There is no danger from such exposure. The danger is mind control." (ALA) Censorship during the World Wars became an issue.(censorshipinamerica.com)In 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt signed an executive order establishing the Office of Censorship with the purpose of censoring all news reports and letters leaving Europe and the United States. Censorship in schools has many different faces. Currently in Texas, the school state board of education (TBE) is in the process of changing the science and history textbook that will be used in the state. The only problem with the books being changed in is that they are missing some important parts like how we are causing climate change and
Caesar Chavez. Currently there are two groups fighting against these changes. In the censoring of Caesar Chavez the United Farm Workers of America, an organization cofounded by Chavez, has started a petition to keep him in schools. Also in the case of the planed changes in the science program, the National Center for Science Education has been at the forefront in criticizing the TBE's desition to tell school children what to think about global warming as apposed to how to think about it.