Each student will select a book or movie that has been banned somewhere in the United States. After reading the book or viewing the movie, you will do some research to determine the pertinent history surrounding the controversy.

A key component of this assignment is that the project MUST be about a work that was banned somewhere in the USA. This can be in a state, a city, a county, or even the library in one particular school. As long as it was banned somewhere in the USA, you’ll be good to go. Some works that students have chosen in the past include To Kill a Mockingbird, Huckleberry Finn, The Moon Is Blue, Thirteen Reasons Why, The Handmaid’s Tale, Beloved, James and the Giant Peach, Scarface, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, 1984, Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Kite Runner, The Grapes of Wrath, The Last Temptation of Christ, Our Bodies Ourselves, Of Mice and Men, Catcher in the Rye, etc. This is by no means an exhaustive list! Feel free to choose any book or movie that fits the requirements of the assignment!

In your paper, please answer the following questions:

(1) Why did some people find the work objectionable? (5 points)

(2) Where and how was access to the work restricted? (5 points)

(3) How did the social and cultural events of the time period impact the controversy surrounding the work? (5 points)

(4) In your opinion, should the work be censored? (5 points)

(5) Do you think the work appropriate for middle or high school students? (5 points)

(6) Apply test(s) and cases used by the Supreme Court to develop your analysis. You should cite at least three cases discussed in class/text) (25 points)

Text : Freedom of Speech in the United States

By: Thomas L. Tedford

Dale A. Herbeck

Your paper should be approximately 4-5 pages.