Banned Books and 1st Amendment

    The First Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees the right to freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, and the right to assemble peacefully. The amendment is instrumental in protecting the rights of individuals and the right to make. This has allowed individuals and groups to freely express themselves without fear of censorship or persecution. However, it's been infringed on in recent times by banning books in classrooms and libraries. Some individuals and groups have called for certain books to be removed from school curriculums or library shelves citing objections to their content and themes.

This report is one of many recent examples you can find that show parents' concern about the content of the material being shared with children. Understandably, parents and other concerned citizens may object to certain books due to mature themes or controversial subject matter, it is important to remember that the 1st amendment also protects the right to access information and ideas, even if they are unpopular or uncomfortable. But banning books violates the 1st Amendment and denies students the opportunity to learn about different perspectives and ideas, by restricting access to different books. This act of censorship suppresses voices and ideas that are seen as threatening or unpopular. Which undermines the fundamental rights that the First Amendment was designed to protect.

At the end of the day, I think parents are the ones who ultimately have their say on what content is okay for their children to read, their moral system should not be forced on an entire student population. People need to have these discussions that will continue to shape a balance in our society and allow children to have reasonable freedoms that will allow them to critically think for themselves and become functioning members of society.