Ban
Mea Cellitto
- To prohibit something, traditionally through a legal or official process[1]
History
Book banning was first seen in 213 BCE China when the Chinese Emperor[2] burned every book if it was not about agriculture, medicine, prognostication, or Qin himself. The first instance in America happened in 1852 and has not slowed down since.
Eventually there was the invention of the Comstock Laws, thus catapulting censorship and bans overall. Comstock Laws generated the idea of obscenity. Traditionally, books were banned so that people couldn't be anti-patriotic, anti-dynasty, etc. However, this introduced the idea of content being inappropriate. Obscenity used to be things like women's bodies and how they function and the push for enjoyable marital sex not used for reproduction. There has been the consistent issues revolving LGBTQ+ communities and sexual content.
Books can be banned for a multitude of reasons. However, majority of the reasons stem from the idea of obscenity. Obscenity can be anything from sexual content to LGBTQ+ content. Over the years it has become more and more systematic. It has gotten to the point that people now have an understanding that bans are apart of a much larger issue involving the dismantling of public education and backsliding democracy.[3]
Reasons For A Ban
- LGBTQ+ Communities
- Sexual Content
- Sexual Assault
- Rape
- Anatomy and Body Functions
What Is A Ban?
Book banning is the prohibiting of certain books by limiting their access. This is typically by the general public, by libraries, by the government, or by members of a local community or religious group. Book bans can go as far as to legally get a book banned or even resulting in book burnings. However, they can also be removed from school curriculums or libraries.
- ↑ Book Banning | Definition, Examples, & Facts | Britannica. 1 Oct. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/book-banning.[1]
- ↑ Tuhin, Muhammad. “Qin Shi Huang: Biography, Power, Ambition, & Facts.” Ancient Mysteries, 16 Aug. 2024, https://ancientmysteries.org/qin-shi-huang/.[2]
- ↑ “The Normalization of Book Banning.” PEN America, 1 Oct. 2025, https://pen.org/report/the-normalization-of-book-banning/.[3]
