The Censorship in Boston

By: Zechariah Chafee Jr.

Narrated by: Lee Ann Howlett

Censorship, entailing the banning of books works on the stage and film, and public speeches, is not new. During the late 1920s in Boston, Massachusetts, it reached a fever pitch. Book banning was prominent but officials in the city also managed to stifle free artistic expression in theatrical productions, and the right to express ideas in a public forum. The bans were often carried out under the law by religious groups, the serving Mayor of Boston, and even the local police. Zechariah Chafee, Jr. was a professor of law at Harvard University and a staunch advocate of the First Amendment. Here he discusses the policies of 1929 in layman's terms and the various methods censors used to 'protect' the public. In addition to literary and artistic ideas, speeches regarding topics such as politics and birth control were affected.

Chafee published this pamphlet with The Civil Liberties Committee of Massachusetts. Years later, Senator Joseph McCarthy denounced Chafee as 'dangerous' in his work to defend free speech. Today, Chafee is considered a scholar on the First Amendment.

Public Domain (P)2022 Lee Ann Howlett