<P> Public and school libraries in the US have the ability to limit children's choice of books to read . This problem "highlights the tension between parental authority and society, but it is ultimately about defining American Value ." It has been suggested that as there are parental guidance to movies, there is a need for something similar for books . Some of the banned books are valuable in helping children discover their identifies or educate themselves . </P> <P> Sponsors of literacy in education have carried out censorship, including parents, school boards, lobbying groups, clergy, librarians and teachers . Banning, the most permanent and effective method of censorship, begins with a challenge and then progresses until the book is no longer available to any student in a school, library or district . In many cases, books are banned or petitioned to be banned by parents who are concerned about the material their children are reading . People For The American Way, an organization concerned with protecting progressive values such as equal rights and freedom of speech, reported that in the school year from 1991--1992, the success of censors in having books removed in some capacity rose to 41 percent from 34 percent in the previous year . In response, several professional organizations such as the American Library Association (ALA), the Freedom to Read Foundation, and the National Coalition Against Censorship have employed various initiatives to help combat book censorship in all its forms . Combating book censorship with their advocacy for First Amendment rights, these long - standing organizations have been at the center of multiple Supreme Court cases spanning from the early 1970s . </P> <P> During the 1600's, a very prevalent form of book censorship in the United States was book burning . In October of 1650, William Pynchon's pamphlet, The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption, was criticized and promptly burned by the Puritan government . This book burning in Boston, Massachusetts is often referred to and even considered the "first book burning in America". </P> <P> On March 3, 1873, the Comstock Law was passed by the United States Congress under the Grant administration; also referred to as an Act for the "Suppression of Trade in, and Circulation of, Obscene Literature and Articles of Immoral Use". The Act criminalized usage of the U.S. Postal Service to send any of the following items: erotica, contraceptive, abortifacients, sex toys, personal letters alluding to any sexual content or information, or any information regarding the above items . The Act not only restrained the distribution of pornography but also the spread of medical journals that held subsequent information regarding contraceptives and abortion . In places such as Washington, D.C., where the federal government has direct jurisdiction, the act also made it a misdemeanor, punishable by fine and imprisonment, to sell, give away, or have in possession any "obscene" publication . Half of the states passed similar anti-obscenity statutes that also banned possession and sale of obscene materials . </P>

When was the first book banned in the united states