Brittney+Tate

If You Ban Books, You Ban Reality By: Brittney Tate Guiding Research Question: Should secondary schools be allowed to ban books?

The following topic interests me because I do not believe that secondary schools should ever be allowed to ban books due to their personal beliefs. Banning books is a way to hide reality from students who already know or have experienced what is in these particular books.

Those for argue that: Those against argue that:
 * students should not be exposed to things of a graphic nature
 * may cause problems in schools
 * may offend some
 * goes against what i s morally correct
 * may give students ideas that are inappropriate
 * violates First Amendment rights
 * individuals cannot express their opinions freely
 * another way for the government to control the people
 * keeps students from forming their own opinions
 * a way to hide reality

Court Cases:
 * Rosenberg v. Board of Education of City of New York**

This case focuses on the two books Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare. These books were suggested to be banned due to the way Jews were depicted. A group of Jewish parents sewed the Board of Education of City of New York because they believed that their children should be able to attend school without religious bias. The final verdict stated that the books were not to be removed because there was no sufficient cause to do so. Gould, Autumn. "Book Censorship." First Amendment Site. Lehigh University, n.d. Web. 6 Dec 2012.


 * Sund v. The City of Wichita Falls, Texas**

This case focuses on the books Heather Has Two Mommies by Lesla Newman and Daddys Roommate by Michael Willhoite. A church in Wichita Falls, Texas protested that these books be removed from the library shelves due to the portrayal of homosexuality. The church petitioned to have the books removed and they were successful until later, in the court case of Sund v. The City of Wichita Falls, Texas, the final verdict ordered that the books be brought back into Wichita Falls Public Library because banning them would be unconstitutional. "Sund v. The City of Wichita Falls, Texas." Ahcuah. N.p.. Web. 6 Dec 2012.


 * Case v. Unified School District No. 233**

This case involves the banning of Annie on My Mind because it not only discusses homosexuality but it also discusses it between two teenagers. The school claimed that they had chosen to ban the book because it was educationally unsustainable. However, the courts did not rule in their favor and stated that it would be a violation of their First Amendment rights to ban the book. Reuters, Thomson. "Case v. Unified School District No. 233." FindLaw: For Legal Professions. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec 2012.

Book banning is in direct violation of the First Amendment rights—especially freedom of speech—therefore making it unconstitutional and unethical. Often times, schools ban books based on their personal beliefs or because they are afraid of new ideas or beliefs that are not like theirs but that is not morally correct. Everyone does not hold the same beliefs therefore one cannot ban a book from what he or she believes is moral or ethical. The decision lies in the hands of the parents and not the schools to decide what is appropriate for the students because the parents instill their views and values in the minds of their children and their values could be very different from school officials. America which is “the land of the free” is struggling to hold up to the term “free” and the more restrictions that are put on the people, the more the idea of freedom weakens.
 * What I Think**

"Banned Books." Infoplease. N.p., 2007. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. Blakely.“Caution! Some People Consider These Books Dangerous.” Banned Books. N.p., 22 Sept. 2000. Web. 07 Dec. 2012. “Book censorship.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 28 Nov. 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. Chameleon, Karma.“Embracing Banned Books.” Teen Ink. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nove. 2012. Gould, Autumn.“Book Censorship.” First Amendment Site. Lehigh University, n.d. Web. 6 Dec 2012. Hensler, Brandon.“ACLU of Florida v. Miami-dad County School Board” ACLU of Florida. N.p., 21 June 2006. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. Howie, Tomás. "Academic Freedom." Home of the Howies. N.p., 1996-2009. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. Reuters, Thomson.“Case v. Unified School District No. 233.” FindLaw: For Legal Professions. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec 2012. Rohrer, Finlo.“Why Are Parents Banning School Books?” BBC News. BBC, 27 Sept. 2010. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. “Sund v. The City of Wichita Falls, Texas.” Ahcuah. N.p.. Web. 6 Dec 2012. "Sund v. City of Wichita Falls, Texas." Leagle. N.p., 2010. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.
 * Works Cited**