Newspaper clippings of ACLU news from the 1950s; images of Crystal Eastman and other ACLU leadersNewspaper clippings of ACLU news from the 1950s; images of Crystal Eastman and other ACLU leaders

ACLU 100 History Series

On the occasion of the ACLU’s centennial, this essay collection explores many critical moments in the organization’s history.

In 1917, war fever was sweeping the country. So was anti-dissent hysteria. Opponents of America’s entry into World War I — along with socialists and suspected draft evaders — faced prosecution, censorship, and violence.

It was in this climate that Crystal Eastman and Roger Baldwin created the Civil Liberties Bureau as part of the American Union Against Militarism. Three years later, in 1920, that small committee within an anti-war organization would evolve into the American Civil Liberties Union.

Since its founding, the ACLU has operated under Eastman and Baldwin’s guiding star: the principled defense of civil liberties without compromise based on political considerations. That principle has led us through a series of monumental events and policy decisions in the last century.

On the occasion of the ACLU’s centennial, this essay collection will explore many of those critical moments in the organization’s history. Together, it tells not only the ACLU’s story, but America’s as well.

Conscientious Objectors | American Civil Liberties Union

The ACLU was born out of World War I and the repression that resulted when the U.S. joined the fight.
Conscientious Objectors | American Civil Liberties Union

Crystal Eastman, the ACLU’s Underappreciated Founding Mother | American Civil Liberties Union

A preeminent organizer of her day, Eastman was a fierce champion of most of the major movements for social change in the early 20th century.
Crystal Eastman, The Aclu’s Underappreciated Founding Mother | American Civil Liberties Union

Matters of Principle | American Civil Liberties Union

In the early days of the ACLU, the California branches helped maintain the organization’s radicalism as the national organization became more and...
Matters Of Principle | American Civil Liberties Union

Mr. ACLU and the General | American Civil Liberties Union

ACLU founder Roger Baldwin always wanted to promote civil liberties overseas. When Gen. Douglas MacArthur came calling, it was with an offer he...
Mr. Aclu And The General | American Civil Liberties Union

The ACLU’s Response to 9/11: An Insider’s Account | American Civil Liberties Union

A former ACLU legal director explains how the ACLU’s broad mission and long history became a source of strength after 9/11 and the government’s...
The Aclu’s Response To 9/11: An Insider’s Account | American Civil Liberties Union

I Fought the Imperial Presidency, and the Imperial Presidency Won | American Civil Liberties Union

The inside story of an ACLU lawyer’s cross-country Hail Mary to persuade the Supreme Court that Nixon’s bombing of Cambodia was unconstitutional.
I Fought The Imperial Presidency, And The Imperial Presidency Won | American Civil Liberties Union

The Making of the Right to Abortion | American Civil Liberties Union

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, two ACLU board members made it their mission to make reproductive freedom a civil liberties issue.
The Making Of The Right To Abortion | American Civil Liberties Union

Cleaning Up the Snake Pit | American Civil Liberties Union

In the early 1970s, ACLU lawyer Bruce Ennis successfully reformed New York City’s infamous institution for people with developmental...
Cleaning Up The Snake Pit | American Civil Liberties Union

During Japanese American Incarceration, the ACLU Lost — and Then Found — Its Way | American Civil Liberties Union

The government’s World War II-era incarceration of people of Japanese ancestry sparked bitter disputes within the ACLU. They hold important...
During Japanese American Incarceration, The Aclu Lost — And Then Found — Its Way | American Civil Liberties Union

The ACLU’s Fifth Column? | American Civil Liberties Union

As a young part-timer during the summer of 1977, I went through the FBI’s ACLU files. My colleagues and I discovered that prominent ACLU leaders...
The Aclu’s Fifth Column? | American Civil Liberties Union

How the ACLU Won the Largest Mass Acquittal in American History | American Civil Liberties Union

In May 1971, the Nixon administration cracked down unconstitutionally on a massive anti-Vietnam War protest with the largest mass arrests in U.S....
How The Aclu Won The Largest Mass Acquittal In American History | American Civil Liberties Union

Just Another Day at the Office | American Civil Liberties Union

Fifteen-hour days. Acerbic judges. Injustice everywhere. And I don’t regret it one bit — it was the best time of my life.
Just Another Day At The Office | American Civil Liberties Union

The Skokie Case: How I Came to Represent the Free Speech Rights of Nazis | American Civil Liberties Union

In 1977, the ACLU of Illinois received a call from a Nazi leader complaining that his planned demonstration had been blocked. The ensuing legal...
The Skokie Case: How I Came To Represent The Free Speech Rights Of Nazis | American Civil Liberties Union

The ACLU, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Me | American Civil Liberties Union

An inside look at the two lawyers who shepherded women's rights to the top of the ACLU's list of priorities — and the Supreme Court.
The Aclu, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, And Me | American Civil Liberties Union

Pauli Murray’s Indelible Mark on the Fight for Equal Rights | American Civil Liberties Union

Murray battled discrimination on the basis of sex and race throughout her personal and professional life, carving an intersectional approach to...
Pauli Murray’s Indelible Mark On The Fight For Equal Rights | American Civil Liberties Union

The Saga of The Scottsboro Boys | American Civil Liberties Union

The Saga Of The Scottsboro Boys | American Civil Liberties Union

From the Lunch Counter to the Supreme Court: Defending the First Amendment for All | American Civil Liberties Union

From The Lunch Counter To The Supreme Court: Defending The First Amendment For All | American Civil Liberties Union

For Love and For Life, LGBTQ People Are Not Going Back | American Civil Liberties Union

Long before marriage equality was before the U.S. Supreme Court, the ACLU fought for LGBTQ rights.
For Love And For Life, Lgbtq People Are Not Going Back | American Civil Liberties Union

Rosika Schwimmer, Woman without a Country | American Civil Liberties Union

After fleeing persecution, a Hungarian anti-war activist sought refuge in the United States, only to be rejected and scorned for her pacifism. Ever...
Rosika Schwimmer, Woman Without A Country | American Civil Liberties Union