The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization that works around the mission, “to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in the country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.” They fulfill their mission and perform their programs through lobbying, litigation, and community education. 

ACLU was founded in 1920 by Roger Baldwin, Walter Nelles, and Crystal Eastman. However, it rooted from its predecessor CLB or the National Civil Liberties Bureau, which was founded by Baldwin and Eastman in 1917. CLB focused on freedom of speech, particularly anti-war speech. It also supported conscientious objectors who hoped for the avoidance of serving in the World War I. After a few years, Baldwin insisted on the organization’s re-organization, changing its focus from litigation to public education and direct action. Thus, the formation of ACLU on January 19, 1920. 

During the 1920s, government censorship was dominant: magazines were confiscated, anti-government and anti-war literature was outlawed, and labor rally permits were denied. The ACLU primarily focused on fighting against these and they were attacked by conservative groups for doing so, including the American Legion, Industrial Defense Association, and the National Civic Federation, among others. Indeed, the organization has fought many wars over the years, despite not being in the actual battlefield itself.

The ACLU serves as the nation’s guardian of liberty and as such, it works daily in courts, communities, and legislatures to preserve and defend the rights and liberties of every individual that the Constitution and laws of the US itself guarantees for every citizen. ACLU works to protect the First Amendment rights which include freedom of speech, assembly, and association, as well as freedom of the press and religion. The organization also promotes the right to equal protection under the law, protecting people from unlawful discrimination. They also fight for the right to due process and privacy. Furthermore, the ACLU also works to extend these rights to other segments of the population that tend to be denied their rights, including people of color, bisexuals, homosexuals, transgenders, prisoners, people with disabilities, and even women.