American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was founded after the “Palmer Raids” in which thousands of people were unlawfully arrested. The ACLU continues to protect the nation against violations of the American Constitution from the government. Notably, the ACLU was paramount in challenging racial segregation in Brown v. Board of Education and establishing a woman’s right to choose in Roe v. Wade. The ACLU stands for freedom of speech, even when the cause is unpopular. In 1978 the ACLU defended a Nazi group that wanted to rally through a Chicago suburb which many Holocaust survivors lived in. The ACLU continues to firmly defend first amendment rights, no matter the cause.