The Howl Obscenity Trial of 1957

In 1957, San Francisco police arrested Lawrence Ferlinghetti for selling 'Howl,' charging him with distributing obscene literature. The subsequent trial became a landmark First Amendment case that established new precedents for literary freedom. The defense called distinguished witnesses including Mark Schorer and Kenneth Rexroth, who testified to the poem's artistic merit. Judge Clayton Horn's ruling that the work had 'redeeming social importance' protected controversial literature for generations.

• Police targeted 'Howl' for explicit sexual content

• Trial established 'redeeming social importance' standard

• Literary scholars testified to poem's artistic value

• Victory protected experimental and controversial literature