Why Eisenhower's "Don't Join the Book Burners" Message Still Matters

On June 14, 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower stood before the graduating class at Dartmouth College and offered a simple but profound warning: "Don't join the book burners."

The speech has become famous for that line, but Eisenhower's message was much broader than a defense of books or libraries. Speaking as a five-star general, a wartime leader, and the President of the United States, Eisenhower argued that a free people must have the courage to encounter ideas they may disagree with, histories they may find uncomfortable, and evidence that challenges their assumptions.

Take the Pledge to Be Like Ike. Don't Join the Book Burners

As Americans enter Civic Season from Juneteenth through Independence Day and begin reflecting on our nation's approaching 250th anniversary, it is worth revisiting one of the most important presidential speeches ever delivered about libraries, citizenship, and the First Amendment.

President Eisenhower told his audience, "And even if [other people] have ideas that are contrary to ours, their right to say them, their right to record them, and their right to have them at places where they are accessible to others is unquestioned, or it isn't America."

For Eisenhower, libraries were not merely repositories of books. They were institutions that helped sustain an informed citizenry capable of self-government. That message remains relevant today.

Our Conversation with Rep. Joe Courtney

Civic Season, observed annually between Juneteenth and Independence Day, encourages Americans to reflect on our shared history, constitutional traditions, and civic responsibilities.

Public libraries, school libraries, academic libraries, and state libraries help make our founding freedoms real. They ensure that every person, regardless of income or background, can access books, research, history, ideas, and information. That is why Eisenhower's message continues to resonate more than seventy years later.

To mark the anniversary of Eisenhower's historic address, EveryLibrary Live! welcomed Representative Joe Courtney (CT-02) for a conversation with EveryLibrary Executive Director John Chrastka.

Eisenhower spoke at a moment when many Americans feared that certain ideas were so dangerous they should be hidden from view. His answer was simple: a free people must have the confidence to confront ideas rather than suppress them.

More than seventy years later, Americans once again find themselves debating what should be taught, what should be read, what belongs in public institutions, and how we navigate profound disagreements as fellow citizens. That is what makes this conversation with Representative Joe Courtney so important. Rather than focusing on today's headlines, it invites us to step back and consider a larger question: what does a constitutional republic require of its citizens if freedom is to endure for another 250 years?

You can watch the full episode of EveryLibrary Live! where they discuss Eisenhower's Dartmouth speech, the First Amendment, libraries as civic institutions, and why access to information remains essential to American self-government.

Watch the full interview on

EveryLibrary's Facebook or YouTube Live.

Take the "Be Like Ike" First Amendment Pledge

To accompany this conversation, EveryLibrary has launched the "Be Like Ike: Don't Join the Book Burners" pledge campaign. The pledge invites Americans of all political backgrounds to affirm their support for the First Amendment, the freedom to read, and the role of libraries, schools, colleges, universities, and civic institutions in helping people become informed citizens.

The pledge is rooted in a simple idea: support for free expression and access to information is not a partisan value. It is an American value.

Take the pledge: https://action.everylibrary.org/dont_join_the_book_banners

Eisenhower's speech remains remarkable because it was not delivered by a librarian, an academic, or a free speech advocate. It was delivered by a president who had witnessed firsthand the dangers of censorship, propaganda, and authoritarianism.

His challenge to Americans remains as relevant today as it was in 1953: "Don't be afraid to go in your library and read every book, as long as that document does not offend our own ideas of decency. That should be the only censorship."

As we celebrate Civic Season and prepare for America's 250th anniversary, we invite you to watch the conversation, take the pledge, and recommit yourself to the freedoms that make self-government possible.

Don't Join the Book Burners.

Watch the interview with Rep. Courtney on

Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/events/1003395295746199

YouTube Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbAJM9ilt_8

And take the pledge to Be Like Ike: https://action.everylibrary.org/dont_join_the_book_banners

This campaign was developed in partnership with Brian Farber, President of Monument Square Strategies, a former White House appointee and senior Congressional staffer, who brings policy campaign and communications strategy to the library field, including work with the Connecticut Library Consortium. You can reach Brian at [email protected].