Defining Documents in American History: Censorship: Print Purchase Includes Free Online Access Hardcover – August 31, 2025

Censorship can occur in all levels of society, no matter how free and democratic they may be, from schools banning certain books, to movies and music being regulated and age-restricted, to outspoken advocates of various causes being stifled in promoting their views. Censorship is not a cut-and-dry issue – there are many sides at play in any instance of censorship, from those who seek to prevent certain content from being accessed, to those who seek to promulgate that information and even subvert attempts at censorship. These volumes explore historical examples of censorship in the United States, from the banning of James Joyce's "Ulysses" due to concerns about obscenity, to Hollywood’s creation of the Hays Code to regulate sensitive topics such as sex and violence in movies, to repeated challenges over controversial books such as The Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird in schools. It also touches on The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) creating the parental advisory label in 1987 to warn consumers of explicit content in music, and other modern examples of censorship in the media as the landscape shifts away from traditional means of conveying information. Read more