A historical look at book bans in American schools

Attempts to ban or censor books are, of course, nothing new.

Sure, the particular idea or imagery that ignites the ire may vary, depending on the time and political situation, but it's certainly not a recent concept.

For example, a few years back, conservatives felt that liberals were censoring reading material; today, the shoe is on the other foot.

The current wave, though, is both bigger and bigger-picture, rather than focusing on a particular book, PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel told Vox.

That bigger picture? Arguments over how we see American history and America itself.

This, according to Adam Laats, a historian who studies the history of American education, is actually not new.

A similar anxiety — and suppression effort — emerged in classrooms in the 1930s, which you can read more about in Vox.

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