Government Censorship In America

“A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it. Take the shot from the weapon." (Bradbury 58) Censorship is the act of suppressing speech, works of literature, music, movies, work of arts, and ideas that are thought to be politically incorrect, offensive, and threatening to society. The United States Constitution states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances ( law.cornell.edu) However, historically, government officials and organizations have been “abridging” our freedoms since the inception of this

As this nation grows and develops these beliefs don’t seem to be as valuable as they used to be. A Report from the PEN Center states, “76% think that increased government surveillance is especially harmful to writers because it impinges upon the privacy they need to create freely.” Presently, seventy to eighty percent of the books banned in the United States are never reported. America is a free country, but do you really have the freedom to say and do anything you want? Why then does the government watch your every move and regulates what works of literature you 're allowed and not allowed to access. By censoring critical literature via the very governmental organizations created to do such things, the government deprives its citizens of intellectual freedom, development, and speech leading to a dysfunctional educational system that fosters a biased and discriminatory society. The concept of censorship has a long history which commenced in Rome, Greece, and China during pre-modern times before its inheritance by the United States during the 19th

This idea is known as self-censorship. However, some authors do not censor they hide their identities by using pen names. Well- known authors such as Theodor Geisel known as Dr. Seuss publish under own names. Stephen King use to be known as Richard Bachmann and Charles Dickens was known as Boz. (theatlantic.com 2012) Most of the authors avoid writing certain stories because they 're afraid that it 'll ruin their career and their relationships with other journalist and sources. Most of them also try to attract advertisers and please the government at the same time that they completely alter their stories and agree with ideas they normally oppose to. They know if they don 't self-censor the government and other people such as parents, and teachers might challenge their works and bring complications into their careers causing their books to be placed on the list of banned books. At this rate my fear is not about the books that have been banned, but the books that will never be