2000s–Present: New Waves of Legislation and Record-Setting Bans
• The 21st century saw the rise of organized national campaigns against specific themes—especially LGBTQ+ representation, racial justice, and content addressing trauma or abuse. Political polarization fueled explicit state-level legislation.
• Since 2021, there has been an unprecedented spike in attempts to restrict library access. In 2023, the American Library Association documented more than 1,200 censorship attempts affecting over 4,200 unique titles—a 65% increase over the previous year, with three-fourths of targeted books written for youth or teens.
• Many new laws require the removal or restriction of “sexual,” “harmful,” or “divisive” materials from libraries and classrooms, with some states criminalizing library staff for failing to comply. These laws often use vague language, granting broad discretion for bans and emphasizing parental or governmental control.
• By 2024–2025, the majority of censorship attempts have been traced to coordinated efforts by advocacy groups and political actors, rather than spontaneous community concern. New laws not only ban books but also pressure librarians to self-censor or avoid purchasing “controversial” materials, resulting in what experts call “censorship by exclusion.”
Key Patterns and Recurring Themes
• Legal and professional responses: The recurring adoption and amendment of ethical codes (like the Library Bill of Rights), the formation of advocacy organizations, and court decisions have often pushed back against censorship but have not eliminated the problem.
• Changing targets: While the focus of bans has shifted—from perceived obscenity in earlier eras to contemporary concerns around race and LGBTQ+ identities—the underlying tactic remains the restriction of access in the name of protecting community standards or children.
• Backlash and activism: Surges in censorship often spark equally forceful advocacy for intellectual freedom, both from library professionals and civil rights organizations.
Conclusion
The history of library censorship laws in the U.S. is circular, with waves of restriction followed by waves of activism and legal reform. While the legal landscape generally leans toward protecting the right to read, the persistence of new laws and tactics demonstrates that library censorship remains a live—and intensifying—issue in American public life.
Early American book banning practices can be traced directly to the Puritan colonies of the 17th century, where strict social, religious, and political controls were imposed on published material.
The First Banned Book: New English Canaan (1637)
The earliest recorded act of book banning in what is now the United States occurred in 1637 in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Thomas Morton, an English lawyer and early colonist, published New English Canaan in Amsterdam. This three-part text detailed the region’s Indigenous peoples, described the natural resources of Massachusetts, and—most provocatively—delivered a scathing critique of Puritan governance, customs, and treatment of Native Americans.