American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) dedicates itself to protecting the rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution. The framers of the Bill of Rights designated those areas of civil life where government could not intrude, ensuring that those rights belonged to individuals and the associations to which they belonged. The Bill of Rights limited the government's authority to regulate freedom in areas such as speech, religion, assembly, press, the right to petition one's government, and to be safe from unwarranted search and seizure. From its founding in 1920, the ACLU has grown from a single office to an organization with chapters in almost every state.

Chapters possess some degree of autonomy and may pursue strategies prior to the national board voting on an ACLU position. As a national organization, the ACLU protects civil liberties through litigation, lobbying, and public education. Since its founding, the ACLU has expanded to include staff attorneys and a membership of over 500,000 persons. Some chapters have developed specific projects focusing on issues such as juvenile rights, prisoner's rights, national security, gay and lesbian issues, immigrant rights, and voting rights, although all are dedicated to the mission of vindicating civil liberties.

Two historical facts help explain the development of the ACLU. Many of the Constitution's framers did not believe a Bill of Rights was necessary. Fearful that enumerating rights would suggest federal powers that were not explicitly named, the framers initially believed that the federal government would only possess powers specifically enumerated in the Constitution, thus securing those liberties not regulated by the Constitution. The absence of a Bill of Rights, however, threatened state ratification resulting in the adoption of the first 10 amendments that specifically prevented Congress or the government from infringing on individual rights. Unlike the government's duty to prosecute crime, however, government was not specifically charged with enforcing the Bill of Rights. Protecting these rights often necessitated litigating against government action that appeared to violate constitutional protection or lobbying against legislation that would authorize government restriction of individual liberties. Even the judiciary, established to complete the checks and balances between the branches of government, required a party to file a case to determine whether a constitutional violation occurred. An affected individual or association or some nongovernment entity acting on behalf of that individual would have to call the government's alleged violation of those civil rights into question.

Second, the 20th century witnessed expansive growth of the federal government, especially in its reach over the lives of its citizens. The Supreme Court's interpretation of the Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment incorporating the protections of the Bill of Rights against state governments led to a concomitant need for protection against encroachment of rights by any government, whether federal, state, or local. Simultaneously, the United States became a world power with its involvement in the two World Wars and leadership throughout the Cold War. That new role increasingly raised concerns over new national security laws. Furthermore, the expansion of the welfare state as orchestrated by the federal government multiplied government regulations affecting all citizens and residents.

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