What was the impact of the Comstock Act of 1872?
The Comstock Act of 1873 made it illegal to send “obscene, lewd or lascivious,” “immoral,” or “indecent” publications through the mail. The law also made it a misdemeanor for anyone to sell, give away, or possess an obscene book, pamphlet, picture, drawing, or advertisement.
Why was the Comstock Law important?
Known popularly as the Comstock Law, the statute’s avowed purpose was “to prevent the mails from being used to corrupt the public morals.” The Comstock Law made it a crime to sell or distribute materials that could be used for contraception or abortion, to send such materials or information about such materials in the …
What did the Comstock laws passed in the 1870s prohibit Select all that apply?
This Act criminalized any use of the U.S. Postal Service to send any of the following items: obscenity; contraceptives; abortifacients; sex toys; personal letters with any sexual content or information; or any information regarding the above items. A similar federal act (Sect.
What did the Comstock Act of 1873 do quizlet?
The Comstock Act of 1873: Barred the mailing of obscene publications. If erotic material is intercepted in the mail by a postmaster general and results in prosecution, the community standards that apply would be: The community where the erotic material was seized.
What did the Comstock Act do?
On March 3, 1873, Congress passed the new law, later known as the Comstock Act. The statute defined contraceptives as obscene and illicit, making it a federal offense to disseminate birth control through the mail or across state lines.
Is the Comstock Act still in effect?
But the Comstock Act has never been repealed; it is still on the books. This crusade resulted in the arrest and imprisonment of a multitude of Americans whose only crime was to exercise their constitutional right of free speech in ways that offended Anthony Comstock.
What was the Comstock Act in what ways did the Comstock Act represent and also contradict the realities of American life in the industrial era?
In what ways did the Comstock Act reflect and contradict the realities of American life in the industrial era? The Act banned contraceptives made available by industrialization but Comstock had little success in stopping the lucrative and popular trade in contraceptives.
What did the 1873 Comstock Act do?
How did Margaret Sanger fight the Comstock Act?
Sanger founded the monthly publication The Woman Rebel, which included birth control information. Upon using the mail for distributing the publication in 1913 she was indicted under the Comstock Law for mailing obscene materials. Authorities confiscated (removed) all copies of the publication.
When was Comstock repealed?
The Comstock Law was enforced until 1965 when the landmark decision of Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) found it unconstitutional to restrict access to birth control because it interfered with a person’s right to privacy.
Is the Comstock law still in effect?
What did the Comstock Act of 1873 do?
obscenity: Obscenity laws in the 18th and 19th centuries. …of the era was the Comstock Act (1873)—named for its chief proponent, Anthony Comstock—which provided for the fine and imprisonment of any person mailing or receiving “obscene,” “lewd,” or “lascivious” publications.
How did the Comstock laws get their name?
In addition to these federal laws, about half of the states enacted laws related to the federal Comstock laws. These state laws are considered by Dennett to also be “Comstock laws”. The laws were named after their chief proponent, Anthony Comstock.
When did Congress remove the language from the Comstock Act?
In 1971 Congress removed the language concerning contraception, and federal courts until Roe v. Wade (1973) ruled that it applied only to “unlawful” abortions.
Who was the first person to challenge the Comstock Act?
These laws remained unchallenged until birth-control advocate Margaret Sanger made it her mission to challenge the Comstock Act. The first successful change in the laws came from Sanger’s 1916 arrest for opening the first birth control clinic in America.