“Banning books gives us silence when we need speech. It closes our ears when we need to listen. It makes us blind when we need sight.” – Stephen Chbosky
Socio-political context of book bans in the United States
Although historically the United States has been known as a great democratic power, it has been facing serious challenges to its political system. In 2021, it was classified as a backsliding democracy by the European Thinktank IDEA. Since Donald Trump’s second term in office began, his repeated attacks on media independence, universities and other educational organizations have weakened important societal constraints on executive power, thereby undermining the checks and balances that democracy depends on.
At the same time, the United States has become one of the most polarized democracies in the world. Citizens are deeply divided on core political issues, and tolerance for opposing viewpoints among citizens has sharply declined. In a September 2024 poll, a record 80 percent of U.S. citizens believed that Americans are deeply divided on important values, while just 18 percent believed the country was united. In times of democratic erosion and polarization, education becomes more vital than ever as it is one of the most powerful tools for cultivating civic values and democratic habits among young people.
Book bans and democratic backsliding
Book bans have been used by governments and political leaders to control public opinion and restrict dissent for centuries. The United States is no exception. During the Cold War, for instance, Senator McCarthy banned literature opposing “American values” such as capitalism and democracy. Book bans are aimed at erasing political opposition and reinforcing a dominant narrative that aligns with the values of political leaders.
Since Trump’s re-election, the Republican Party has intensified its attacks on educational institutions, including attempts to dismantle the Department of Education, or funding cuts – most famously targeting Harvard University. In fact, in the case of Harvard v. Trump, the judge described Trump’s actions as “an ideologically motivated assault” that violated the First Amendment.
This ongoing attack is perhaps most visible in the recent soar of book bans across the country. In the 2024-2025 school year alone, 6870 book bans were enacted across the United States. Most of these bans were pushed forward by conservative interest groups, leveraging parental concerns to remove books addressing topics such as race, gender and sexuality. As sociologists Goncalvez et al. (2024) argue, this form of censorship disproportionately affects marginalized groups, undermines children’ s right to information, and likely hinders their ability to develop critical thinking skills. These bans also reflect a broader trend of conservative actors attempting to push back against “wokeness”.
Literature, Power and Political Control
In her famous book Resistance Literature, Barbara Harlow argues that “literature is inherently political”. It is a form of resistance that can reshape collective memories and dismantle or entrench power systems, because of this, it is often targeted by those seeking political control. The recent rise of book bans represents an escalation of this dynamic. The bans risk intensifying the polarization and democratic backsliding already visible in the United States. By restricting certain narratives, especially those offering marginalized perspectives, political actors can manipulate the public’s understanding of history, identity and citizenship.
This danger has already been recognized in United States constitutional law. In Island Trees v. Pico (1982), the Supreme Court ruled that school boards cannot restrict the availability of books in their libraries simply because they do not like or agree with the content, since this goes against the First Amendment. Despite this precedent, schools across the country continue to ban books under the justification of protecting students from “controversial” ideas.
The recent surge in book banning is sometimes traced back to the political backlash that followed the 1619 Project. This project by the New York Times sought to reframe American history by centering the experiences of Black Americans and highlighting both the enduring consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black communities to the nation. In a press conference, Trump condemned the project as “anti-American propaganda” and presented it as a call to fight against what he described as a form of “tyranny” that teaches students to “feel ashamed of their own history”. This demonstrates how literature can challenge dominant narratives and how political leaders may weaponize censorship to suppress those challenges.
This systemic suppression of dissenting voices follows a similar pattern to historical attacks on education and literature. Perhaps the most famous example is the book burnings and bannings carried out by the Nazi regime in 1930s Germany. These actions specifically targeted literature challenging Nazi ideology, making this form of censorship an important tool in advancing their political agenda. At the same time, the Nazi party actively promoted works that aligned with their ideology, believing that these could serve as instruments to unify and mobilise the German people. Although the scale and context differ significantly from contemporary book bans in the United States, this example demonstrates how restricting access to certain ideas can serve as a powerful tool for political leaders seeking to shape public opinion and consolidate power.
A direct threat to democratic culture
Literature plays a crucial role in shaping how individuals understand their country, their communities, and themselves. This narrative power can be used or abused in one’s own political interest. PEN America warns about the dangers of book bans: the stories available to us influence how we perceive our own role within a nation. Book bans silence marginalized groups’ experiences in the US, which has profound democratic consequences. If individuals do not see their histories, identities, or struggles reflected in the books they read, or if those reflections only appear in distorted forms, they may come to view themselves as less valuable participants in society. Yet democracies depend on broad participation, inclusion, diversity and tolerance. Undermining these principles, therefore, erodes democratic foundations.
What makes the current wave of book bans so dangerous is their subtlety. They don’t work as an effective form of mass censorship. Instead, they operate quietly, often being framed as efforts to “protect children” or preserve “American values”. Because this censorship and manipulation is incremental, its ideological influence can unfold unnoticed.
This subtlety is characteristic of democratic backsliding more broadly, which scholars describe as a gradual process whereby attacks on democracy are reframed as protective measures. In the case of book bans, restrictions of diverse perspectives are framed as measures aimed at “keeping children safe” or protecting the “American legacy”, when in reality it pushes through one dominant narrative, while others are quietly pushed aside.
Conclusion
Book bans are a symptom of wider democratic decay in the United States. In a deeply divided and polarized nation, attempts to reverse diversity and constrain education directly influence how citizens view democracy and their role within it. When young people grow up with fewer perspectives, they ask fewer questions. Over time they become more vulnerable to manipulation and less capable of recognizing threats to democracy. This subtle erosion is precisely what makes book bans so dangerous.
Preventing further declines requires a renewed commitment to intellectual freedom. Citizens must oppose censorship, insist on legal protections for access to information, and defend educators facing political pressure.
Most importantly, these bans should serve as a call to broaden our own horizon: to read widely, to engage with experiences different from our own, and to foster a political culture rooted in curiosity and tolerance. Through these collective efforts we can try and create a more tolerant, diverse, and ultimately democratic future. Afterall, as President Lyndon B. Johnson once said “books and ideas are the most effective weapons against intolerance and ignorance”.
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