Is censorship unconstitutional?Censorship of knowledge is unconstitutional. Censorship was in effect from the beginning of writing. This means it's not hard to tell that it has been used as a manipulation tactic since the first man, or woman, placed their coal on a piece of dried goatskin. So, does that make things wrong? To understand censorship, you have to start at the beginning. Censorship, however defined, occurs when people with power wish to limit knowledge of what we receive or express. We have not always had the same rights as today. Benjamin Franklin's brother and employer was actually arrested and lost his printing license for expressing political criticism in his newspaper. Censorship was strong in the revolutionary era, when British loyalists tarred and feathered people who spoke against Britain. Even then, we lived in a country where our own opinions, if deemed wrong by those in power, were quickly put to rest. But in 1791, the First Amendment was ratified. The First Amendment was passed to thwart censorship. However, it is often believed that it was actually designed to enable states to punish rather than guarantee freedom of expression. To counteract this, the Alien and Sedition Acts were passed in 1798. These laws prohibited the printing of "false, scandalous and malicious writings ("Censorship, Press and Artistic"). “The fight to end censorship continued unabated until 1971, when it was realized that even the government could not be fully trusted. In 1971 the Pentagon affair broke out. It exposed numerous security abuses during the Vietnam War. It was therefore up to them to prove that classified information is essential to the military, the servants...... middle of paper......and the weapon. Breach man's mind." ("Fahrenheit 451" p. 58.) "Banned books." Gale Student Resources in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2013. Student Resources in Context. Web. March 25, 2014. "Census.gov." Np , nd Web. April 7, 2014. Bradbury, Ray “Fahrenheit 451.” 40th Anniversary Np: Simon & Schuster, 1993. Print “Free Speech,” ACLU, nd Web, April 3, 2014. . Rasmus, Ronald S. “Censorship, Press and Art.” Dictionary of American History Ed. Stanley I. Kutler 3rd ed. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003. 83-86. March 26, 2014. “Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). » Gale Student Resources in Context Detroit: Gale, 2013. Student Resources in Web Context.. 2014.