🚫 Books 🚫 #shorts #history

This is the banned books list. And I've been getting a lot of push back from people lately when I've mentioned the list because technically you can buy them. They're not banned. So, let's talk about the history of banned books. When we're talking about the United States, Uncle Tom's Cabin is probably the first book to be banned on a national scale. This book was banned in many states, not only for its pro-abolitionist agenda, but because it sparked a conversation and debate about slavery. In the late 1800s, government official Anthony Commtock successfully got the United States to pass a law banning mailing pornographic material. The problem was his definition of pornographic material included anatomy textbooks, any doctor's pamphlets on reproduction and childbirth, and also anything by Oscar Wild. Even the Canterbury Tales was on this list. The practice of banning books based on this loose definition of pornography continued into the 20th century until 1933. That year there was a landmark case, the United States versus one book called Ulisses. The book was banned in the United States, but Judge John Woolsey challenged the definition of pornography and said that even though he didn't like the book, it definitely didn't induce lust. The definition of pornography was further refined in 1957 with the case of Roth versus the United States. Roth was jailed for selling obscene magazines to subscribers through the mail. But the definition of pornography was refined to say that it was something that was utterly without redeeming social importance. Classic novels that are a realistic depiction of life that includes sex was now no longer something that was banned. The 1960s and '7s saw a massive drop in book bannings and a rise in explicit art. Then in 1981, Ronald Reagan took office and suddenly the list of banned and challenged books absolutely skyrocketed, largely coming from people who were unhappy over schools and libraries carrying books that had realistic depictions of life. As an example, in 1983, the Alabama State Textbook Committee banned the Diary of Anne Frank because it was quote a real downer and also because it has depictions of a young woman discovering her first crush. The American Library Association started fighting back with banned books weeks, explaining that the titles on this list are not excessively violent or overly pornographic. They are realistic depictions of life and many of them are absolute classics. And the list keeps getting longer. And even though we're only talking about the American list right now, this happens all over the world. In the 1980s, the London County Council banned The Tale of Peter Rabbit because it only depicted middleclass rabbits. Banned books are important books.