The area of censorship is important to the history of libraries. It reminds us that we are not to be judge and jury but that we are to be guardians. Citizens should be able to read what they want regardless of what someone else or what some group may think or believe. When selecting my topic I was looking for something specific to the area of censorship that would expose the effects of this particular practice in the history of America and literature. While narrowing my topic I came across Anthony Comstock and the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice.
Imagine being a bookseller or just a citizen for that matter and being arrested for what you have chosen to sell or to read or to write for that matter. This is precisely what happened to some in this country after the United States Congress passed the Comstock Act in 1873. The New York Society for the Suppression of Vice formed shortly thereafter. The organization went on to endure until 1950. This is an area that continually needs to be exposed for no other reason that to try to keep it from ever being repeated. There needs to be an understanding that one person should never be allowed to decide what is morality for all or be able to restrict citizens from seeking and finding information they want or they need.
There have been several biographies written about Anthony Comstock as well as research articles about the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice. Most are secondary sources so there are limitations in the information presented.I went through several websites and some print resources to gather information.