Kayla+Inman

**Research Paper Topic** **Should the government be able to ban books and restrict the opinions of writers? **


 * I chose to do my research project on book banning and book censorship. I chose to do this topic because book banning is really put on the back burner. Not many people are aware that a lot of the book people read on a daily basis have been challenged and banned. Books should not be limited just because people do not agree on the content of the books.

** Images to support my topic **
Afreeman. //Freedom//. N.d. Photograph. Website, n.p



//Banned Books Week//. N.d. Photograph. Website, n.p.

** Positives and Negative Viewpoints **

 * ====** Supporters of book banning say that: **==== ||< ====** Opposers of book banning say that: **==== ||
 * < Vulgarity can be censored from younger ages ||< Closing books closes out ideas and opportunities ||
 * < Parents are able to have degrading book censored from their children ||< Going against Freedom of Speech: Author have the right to write about whatever they want ||
 * < Eliminates "dangerous ideas" from being put into the world ||< Going against people having the right to choose what they want to read ||
 * < Protects people from the immorality of certain topics ||< Restricts the ideas of society as a whole ||
 * Protects the minds of young readers || Takes away creativity in writing ||
 * Gives more control to government and school officials || Restricts the imagination of a growing mind ||

**__I__ used three court case when writing my research paper: **
I used this court case because it is one of the most noted court cases dealing with censorship of books. Parents did not like the content of certain books in the libraries of the school. They argued that the books were "Anti-Christian, Anti-Semitic, and just plain filthy." The books were removed in till students and parents took the banning to court because it was taking away from the students 1st Amendment rights. The court ruled in this particular case that the school board had no authority on banning book from the school library just because they did not support the content of the book. the books were later placed back into the school libraries for student use. I used this case to show a counterargument were the books were not placed back into the libraries for student use. This case was filed because parents of the school district were not happy with the vulgarity of pictures in a certain text book that was used in a daily humanities class. Other parents were not happy with the decision to remove them and sued the school on grounds of free speech. The court ruled that the textbook were not suitable for the age group of that particular school. The books were obscene and not placed back into the library for the students to view. Lastly, I used this court case as one of my references because the court ruled that school boards have no authority to restrict the libraries of school simply for their content. In the Cedarville district some parents were not satisfied with the religious views of the popular Harry Potter Series. The school removed the book but were shortly after challenged by other parents who did not agree that the books be removed. The books did not suit parents because they were teaching the religion of witchcraft. the court ruled that the books be put back into used for all students. They said "the school board dose not have grounds to remove these books simply for the religious content".
 * ====** Pico v. Island Tree Board of Education **====
 * ====** Virgil v. School Board of Columbia **====
 * ====** Count v. Cedarville School District **====

** What I Think **

 * ======I personally believe that banning books restricts the opinions of writers and limits the ideas of society. Oscar Wilde said that "The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world it's own shame." I completely agree with this quote. All the vulgar, obscene, and immoralities that writers chose to add in their books are the images that they see in the world. The world is full of immoral things, so why restrict authors for writing about what they see and hear? The intellectual freedom of readers and writers is becoming perpetually worthless and meaningless for that matter. Intellectual freedom loses meaning with every burnt page and every book removal.  ======

"Board of Education. v. Pico." //Board of Educ. v. Pico//. N.p., 02 Mar. 1982. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.
 * Work Cited **

"Count v. Cedarville School District." //Â -Â April 22, 2003.// N.p., 22 Apr. 2003. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.

"First Amendment Schools: The Five Freedoms - Court Case." //First Amendment Schools: The Five Freedoms- Court Case//. Virgil v. School Board of Columbia, 12 Jan. 1989. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.

"Freedomforum.org: Education for Freedom." //Freedomforum.org: Education for Freedom//. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.

Magoon, Kekla. //Media Censorship//. Edina, MN: ABDO Pub., 2010. Print.

Morrison, Toni. //Beloved: A Novel//. New York: Knopf, 1987. Print.

Stay, Byron L. //Censorship: Opposing Viewpoints//. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 1997. Print.

"They're Burning Books Again." //About.com Children's Books//. Elizabeth Kennedy, Jan. 2002. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.