Banning Books in America by Alexa Miller https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy In order to understand the importance of the debate surrounding banning books, the conditions of the First Amendment must be conceptualized. The First Amendment grants the right to free speech, religion, press, assembly, and protest to all American citizens; but at what point is “free” speech and religion really free? In the case of Gidlow v. New York of 1927 and Wisconsin v. Yoder of 1972, the rights to free speech and religion were incorporated into state governments respectively, but free speech comes with some limitations. In Gidlow’s case, a speech regarding a violent overthrow of the national government caused tension to rise, and in Yoder’s case, the court deemed that the right to religion must be exercised in order for one to live the life they choose. Yet why should differences in opinions, say religion, prohibit education? In Robert Kim’s piece “Banning Books: Unlawful Censorship, or Within a School's Discretion?” he poses the question: “Does removing books from public school libraries violate the First Amendment, or is it a permissible act of discretion by school officials” (Kim 2022). This question can only be answered by analyzing the conditions within the First Amendment and looking at what causes books to be pulled from library shelves. The most obvious justification behind censorship and banning books is past precedent, in which Kim specifically points out The Pico Case. Kim summarizes Pico to “serve as a legal deterrent to book censorship. So why do so many school districts still feel legally entitled to ban books? One clue: No part of Pico garnered support from enough justices to make it binding precedent, giving schools and courts leeway to bypass the First Amendment barrier it erected (though, as seen in the cases described below, Pico remains influential)” (Kim 2022). Pico stresses the importance of the First Amendment and how it can be stretched to the states, but it also hyphenates the difficulty in deciding whether or not it is constitutional to ban books merely due to differences in ideals. en-us 2023-11-20 03:16:31 UTC 2023-11-30 22:12:25 UTC hello@padlet.com Banning Books in America aam492_ https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795791048 The selected source describes the history of banning books in America and the court cases that correlate to it. It attempts to make sense of why people in America had problems with certain texts, and how it relates to the history of censorship and its effect on the First Amendment.

]]> 2023-11-20 03:30:27 UTC https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795791048 "Banning books: Unlawful Censorship, or Within a School's Discretion?" aam492_ https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795791955 2023-11-20 03:31:24 UTC https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795791955 The Main Argument aam492_ https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795820410 The overarching question of my source discusses whether or not banning books is within a school’s discretion. Multiple elements factor into the answer to this question; most notable include differences in religion, freedom of speech, past precedent, and discrimination. The legality of censorship is an extremely fine line, and without looking at the United States’ past, it is impossible to make any present decision about the future of literature.

]]> 2023-11-20 04:03:19 UTC https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795820410 Discrimination aam492_ https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795823314 2023-11-20 04:06:48 UTC https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795823314 "Anti-" aam492_ https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795823360 2023-11-20 04:06:51 UTC https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795823360 Speech aam492_ https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795823426 2023-11-20 04:06:57 UTC https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795823426 Difference aam492_ https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795823768 2023-11-20 04:07:21 UTC https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795823768 Religion aam492_ https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795823990 2023-11-20 04:07:36 UTC https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795823990 The Freedom of Religion: The First Amendment aam492_ https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795829187 “In these cases, it’s hard not to notice the impact of religion — specifically, the concern that Voodoo (Campbell), witchcraft (Counts), and homosexuality (Case) were anti-Christian" (Kim 2022)

  • If America was really a place where religions could be celebrated freely, texts that include topics of homosexuality and religions other than Christianity would not pose a legal problem

  • Freedom of religion does not only affect society on a surface level; education is the root of the future

]]> 2023-11-20 04:14:09 UTC https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795829187 The Freedom of Speech: The First Amendment aam492_ https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795830868 “But will schools and the law also recognize the need — especially for students without access to the internet or public libraries outside of school — to access materials that differ from, or even challenge, the prevailing views in their immediate communities? Or will access to diverse information and perspectives (much like access to equitable educational opportunities) depend on where a child happens to live" (Kim 2022)

  • Speech is how we learn

  • Without diverse education, we do not grow as a culture, as a population, as a society; censoring text with differing opinions from those of older generations does not allow change for the better

]]> 2023-11-20 04:16:15 UTC https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795830868 Discrimination: The Motive aam492_ https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795832971 “It’s also evident that discerning the legitimacy of board members’ motivations can be a headache for courts. It’s one thing when there’s plenty of evidence of discriminatory views against specific populations (as in Case v. United School District); but when a challenge to a 26-sentence picture book for young children results in a 70-page judicial opinion (as in ACLU v. Miami-Dade), it’s clear that it isn’t easy for judges to answer the question, What were they thinking" (Kim 2022)

  • Underlying motives for banning books cause confusion in the courts

  • Bias manifests controversy; again, if the First Amendment was being upheld in the court, other people’s views would not take books of their shelves

  • The bias of others should not inhibit education

]]> 2023-11-20 04:18:52 UTC https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795832971 Why is there such a fine line between what can be censored and what can’t? aam492_ https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795833592 2023-11-20 04:19:19 UTC https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795833592 Why is there such a fine line between the legality of censorship? aam492_ https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795833775 2023-11-20 04:19:32 UTC https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795833775 Why, if the First Amendment exists, does some of the American population take issue with the presentation of different ideas in literature? aam492_ https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795833906 2023-11-20 04:19:43 UTC https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795833906 Past Precedent and the Affordable Care Act aam492_ https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795841184

  • The goal of the Affordable Care Act

  • Provides infographics and information surrounding Americans with health care, and what this healthcare entails

    • ]]>     2023-11-20 04:28:02 UTC https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795841184     Unconstitutionality and the Affordable Care Act aam492_ https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795842431

  • The passing of the Affordable Care Act

  • Constitutionality and "loop holes"

  • Past precedent and validity of the Affordable Care Act

    • ]]>     2023-11-20 04:29:18 UTC https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795842431     What the Affordable Care Act Means For Society aam492_ https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795844255

  • The history of health insurance

  • ObamaCare's legality

  • What the Affordable Care Act entails

    • ]]>     2023-11-20 04:31:03 UTC https://padlet.com/aam492_/t48h8gi7cfov82uy/wish/2795844255