Book censorship in the United States

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Book censorship is the removal, suppression, or restricted circulation of literary, artistic, or educational material on the grounds that it is objectionable according to the standards applied by the censor.^[1] The first instance of book censorship in what is now known as the United States, took place in 1637 in modern-day Quincy, Massachusetts.^[2][3] While specific titles caused bouts of book censorship, with Uncle Tom’s Cabin frequently cited as the first book subject to a national ban, censorship of reading materials and their distribution remained sporadic in the United States until the Comstock Laws in 1873.^[4] It was in the early 20th century that book censorship became a more common practice and source of public debate.^[5] Throughout the 20th and early 21st centuries there have been waves of attempts at widespread book censorship in the US. Since 2022, the country has seen a dramatic increase of attempted and successful censorship, with a 63% rise in reported cases between 2022 and 2023, including a substantial rise in challenges filed to hundreds of books at a time.^[6][7] In recent years, about three-fourths of books subject to censorship in the US are for children, pre-teenagers, and teenagers.^[8]

In the debate over book censorship in the United States, "freedom to read" proponents cite traditions and legal precedent building upon the Constitution of the United States, particularly the First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendments.^{[9][10][11][12]} Much of the justification for censorship over the years has centered on definitions of obscenity and questions about the perceived moral qualities of various books’ content.^{[13][14][15][16]}

Today, the target of book censorship may be either a print, electronic, or audiobook, or a curriculum that includes such sources.^[17][6][18] Targeted texts may be held by a business such as a bookstore; a library, either a public library or one located in a school or university; or the school or university as a whole.^[19] The entity requesting censorship may be an organization, private individual, or government official.^[19]

Several professional organizations advocate for the freedom to read, including the American Library Association (ALA), the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), and the American Booksellers Association.^[20][21][22] Organizations that advocate for removing books from access include Moms for Liberty, No Left Turn for Education, and MassResistance.^{[23][13][24][16]}