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Concerned that books in its library were “anti-American, anti-Christian, anti-Semitic,
and just plain filthy,” the Island Trees (NY) Board of Education removed a number of
books it found offensive—including Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five and Langston
Hughes’ Best Short Stories of Negro Writers.
A group of students contended that the Board acted on personal opinion, not on the
merit of the books, and sued the school district for violating their First Amendment
rights.
In 1982 the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the students—upholding their right to
access information.
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“The First Amendment was designed to protect
offensive speech, because nobody ever tried to ban the other kind.”
- Mike Godwin, Staff Counsel, Electronic Freedom Foundation
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Education VS. Protection
You Be The Judge
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