Comstock Act of 1873
Committee for the Suppression of Vice
The YMCA's Committee for the Suppression of Vice paved the way for Comstock to have the influenence he had over U.S. policy regarding obscenities [2].
In 1873, after failing to convict two suffragists for mailing stories about a minister’s sexual liason, Victoria Woodhull and Tennessee Claflin, Comsotck’s goal was to convince Congress to pass a more stringent federal law regarding the mailing and distribution of illicit materials. With that, Comstock was off to D.C. to speak to Congress about a new policy. Due to the turmoil within Congress between the Republicans and Democrats, Comstock was able to pass his new law, which became known as the Comstock law. With the passage of this law, Comstock also became its enforcer. The Comstock Act of 1873 primarily served to widen the definition of “obscenity” and strengthen the punishments provided by previous obscenity mailing laws.
With this new policy in place, Comstock law began to officially take root and be supported by the U.S. federal government. Having federal support meant that Comstock’s beliefs and actions affected people across the U.S., not just those in his area. Meaning, that issues involving Comstock’s beliefs also became politicized and legal-based. This created new challenges towards the amount of control the U.S. government had. With this new law in place, a new set of challenges were rising for the government to face. The Comstock Act would also accelerate the question of government intervention in individuals’ everyday lives. Therefore, setting the stage for people to push back against government intervention in personal lives and creating another avenue for movements, such as the birth control movement, to fight on.
[2] Women at the Center. “Finding Women in the Archives: The New York Society for the Suppression of Vice and Anthony Comstock's War on Contraception.” Women at the Center. New York Historical Society Museum & Library, March 27, 2018. https://womenatthecenter.nyhistory.org/new-york-society-for-the-suppression-of-vice/.