The U.S. Naval Academy’s decision to remove nearly 400 books, including Maya Angelou’s autobiography, has prompted congressional scrutiny over academic freedom and censorship concerns.
Pentagon Book Removal Sparks Outrage at Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy made a decision to remove approximately 400 books from the academy’s shelves, which created an extreme wave of criticism. Democratic leaders condemn this decision because the Pentagon implemented it based on Trump administration orders to eliminate DEI-related materials, a new policy that is meant to remove “woke” ideology from elite colleges.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou makes up part of the eliminated books in the purge alongside her core literary work, which examines survival alongside identity and racism. Two other titles examined by the study are Memorializingthe Holocaust andHalf American, respectively, which discuss gender representations in Holocaust memory and African American World War II contributions.
The destruction of these books is a part of a larger effort led by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to bring education material in military institutions into line with recent executive orders. The orders seek to limit DEI-related material, a move that represents a dramatic change in federal education policy.
This has been met with a quick reaction from Democratic lawmakers. They are being led by Representative Adam Smith of Washington, the House Armed Services Committee’s ranking Democrat, and Representative Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania.
They have sent letters to the Army, Navy, and Air Force secretaries, calling for transparency on the criteria and authority used in the book removals. The lawmakers were appalled and responded by declaring, “If true, this is a shameless assault on the First Amendment and an egregious attempt to curb academic freedom and intellectual rigor in the United States Naval Academy.
The Naval Academy debate expands throughout educational institutions where the children of military personnel receive their education. The Department of Defense Education Activityschools are following strict orders from the administration to prohibit the use of books, along with delaying educational material related to DEI. Black History Month celebrations had to be canceled, while books discussing slavery and civil rights were taken out of circulation.
The conservative actions have received criticism that resembles McCarthy Era censorship methods and expose academia in military schools to fears about freedom of expression and academic liberties at risk.
McCarthy, a Republican who served in the U.S. Senate from Wisconsin in the 1950s, claimed that Communists had infiltrated the federal government. According to Senate history, he spearheaded well-publicized inquiries into claims of espionage and subversion. Following a run-in with the army in 1953, McCarthy was subjected to widely broadcast hearings that tarnished his reputation, raised questions about his claims, and resulted in his peers censuring him.
The Pentagon maintains an ambiguous position regarding these matters while failing to provide solutions for the educational content of military academies.
