Censorship is in Contradiction to Children’s Rights

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Recommended: Censorship in American schools

Censorship has become a long standing practice within our society. Who gets to decide what American citizens say, read or view? There are organizations that review and rate, guard or block information. Governmental entities create laws enforcing censorship and place judgment against those that break those laws. These restrictions often result in conflict against them and in favor of protecting our civil rights. The practice of censorship by authoritative, policy-making entities is in conflict to our constitutional rights, including the rights of our children. Establishments assume the responsibility to protect through censorship. Churches protect their members by prohibiting certain types of movies, music and even dancing. Schools protect children from inappropriate media in school. Books are banned from student curriculum due to sexual situations or religious beliefs. It may be comforting to some adults to know that our children are protected by our churches and schools. This is especially the case when a parent is paying for a private education. Is it shocking to know that many pieces of classic literature are banned from classrooms even public school classrooms and libraries? The books Animal Farm by George Orwell and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain each have a recorded history of banishment due to (respectively) "political theories" and “racist aspects”. (Karolides, Bald, and Sova, 15, 336). I read Animal Farm as a school assignment many years ago. I learned so much about due respect and equality among humans that I cannot imagine a school forbidding it in student curriculum. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn provides illustration of a friendship during a period in history to a child given the ... ... middle of paper ... ...eled by the knowledge presented. The future of new generations will be strengthened. Enforcing and upholding these rights fosters free thinking, development of opinions, advancement and progress in society. These are the ideals that America was built on and built for. Works Cited “Death.” South Park. 17 Sept. 1997. Southparkstudios.com. South Park Digital Studios LLC. Web. 08 Jan. 2014. "Do Students Have a Right to Read?" Firstamendmentschools.org. ASCD, n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2014 "First Amendment." Law.cornell.edu. Legal Information Institute, n.d. Web. 09 Jan. 2014. Karolides, Nicholas J., Margaret Bald, and Dawn B. Sova. 100 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature. New York: Checkmark Books, 1999. Print. Kersch, Ken Ira. Freedom of Speech Rights and Liberties under the Law. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC CLIO, 2003. Print. U.S. Constitution, Amend. I

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