This July 4, as we mark the 250^th anniversary of the document that declared the United States a sovereign nation, it makes sense to celebrate one of the liberties the Declaration of Independence affirmed—the freedom to write.

True, it took another decade after Thomas Jefferson penned his revolutionary missive for free speech to be enumerated as a specific right. And it required more time for a few seminal court cases to shore up that prerogative.

But any American who has ever set pen to paper (or cursor to computer screen) would be remiss not to honor the vast freedom we’ve been granted to speak or scribe just about anything that strikes our fancy.

In the annals of human history, the scope of this liberty is certainly unusual. Consider:

Hottest Books of the 1500s

When Martin Luther ignited the Protestant Reformation in the 16^th century, the printing press helped spread his incendiary ideas. By then, many European governments had already recognized the potential of mass-produced books, tracts, and pamphlets to shape public opinion. So authorities required printers and booksellers to obtain permits before they could go into business. To aid officials in their quest to suppress troublesome authors, the Catholic church compiled the first Index of Forbidden Books in 1560. Titles on the list that somehow made it off the press were put to use as an expensive alternative to firewood.

Proofreading Mistake? There Ought to be a Law!

It was a simple error, but one that was hard to overlook. When London’s royal printers produced another edition of the venerable King James Bible in 1631, they omitted a single word from the seventh commandment of the ten the Lord etched in stone and gave to Moses atop Mount Sinai. The truncated version read: “Thou shall commit adultery.” Instead of urging the printers to hire a better proofreader, authorities revoked their licenses and issued a fine.

The KGB Can’t Handle the Truth

Centuries later government censorship was still in force. In the late 1950s, Ukrainian-born novelist Vasily Grossman employed a literary style known as Soviet Realism to show how Stalin’s government had oppressed its own people during World War II. Officials apparently thought Grossman’s candor kept it too real. Secret police confiscated not only his typescript pages, but also the typewriter ribbons he’d used to produce them. Grossman died before his book was finally smuggled out of the USSR and published in the West in 1980.

Write What You Want, Just Not Here

Even in the 21^st century, some authors continue to run afoul of government restrictions. American Robert Spencer caught the attention of officials in the United Kingdom with his works, including several that hit the New York Times bestseller list. Spencer’s writing is deeply critical of Islam, especially the radical forms that inspire violent jihad. Consequently, he has offended many followers of the religion—a great deal of whom live in the UK. In 2013 Spencer was banned from entering that nation on the grounds that authorities could not guarantee his safety. Though it’s true this action does not constitute censorship, it does send a message that some people can still be labeled persona non grata because of what they write.

Happy Endings—No Offense!

In light of this history, I have to confess how grateful I am to be free to see my own work make it into print. Of course, my clean romantic suspense novel Suffer A Sea Change is by no means intended to provoke or scintillate. Quite the opposite. My hope is that the feel-good, love-heals-all conclusion prompts readers to remember that bad guys do get punished and that virtue does ultimately triumph.

I trust that’s a message to which no censor can object.