Review Of The Primary Source Review On Anthony Comstock

Primary Source Review: Birth Control and Public Morals: Interview with Anthony Comstock, by Anthony Comstock.

Anthony Comstock wrote the primary source, “Birth Control and Public Morals: Interview with Anthony Comstock” to give a detailed account of his views on immorality and religious beliefs against publicizing information about birth control. Comstock is qualified to speak on this topic due to his education and experience. In his youth, Comstock fought for the Union in the American Civil War for two years. Soon after, he moved to New York City where he worked many common jobs such as; a salesman, stock clerk, and porter. He based his career on serving God and protecting the innocence of youth. Comstock was associated with the anti-vice

Anthony Comstock played a role in this moment and it supported him through his accomplishments. A major turning point in the selection is when Comstock speaks of his dedication to his moral endeavor against obscenity and vice. This moment highlights his strong personal beliefs and commitment to enforcing anti-obscenity laws. In his interview, Comstock says, “The three great crime-breeders of today are intemperance, gambling, and evil reading.”(blackboard, 5) These points of importance are what he believes to be acts of the devil. Comstock set forth a set of detailed laws to cover these crimes and make them illegal. An inaccuracy in Comstock’s argument is his assumption that suppressing indecent material will make society more pure. “It has been the policy of those who oppose his work to speak flippantly of it and to minimize its results.” He was oblivious to the many other ways people could obtain the information he believed to be getting rid of. This also made people more upset and determined to fight against him. During Comstock’s interview, the most convincing part was his constant dedication to pushing for his cause. His commitment and personal sacrifices to lead by example and punish those who broke the law strengthened his argument. On

The author Anthony Comstock is reliable because he has extensive knowledge from his experience and research. “After having served in the Civil War, Comstock moved to New York City, which was seeing a rapid expansion in businesses of all types, including saloons and gambling halls. Comstock joined the city’s Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), which had issued a report in 1866 fearing that young men would fall into these “traps of immorality.”(postalmuseum, 1) As Postalmuseum stated, he held many positions in different organizations which led him to be successful and with a great understanding of objectives. Although found reliable, a bias that he offers is his strict moral perspective. This narrow viewpoint does not take into consideration other perspectives and opinions, which dismisses any other possibly acceptable views. Comstock’s belief system is based on that of Christianity and what God wants for people. Everything that he does he believes to be for God and wants everyone around him to follow the same set of Christian based rules that he does. This was a common belief system and still is today, but it greatly contradicted the belief of those who did not follow it. Emma Goldman was one of many critics of Comstock. Emma was an anarchist and political activist who strongly opposed his