Call Number:

CDG-A.American Civil Liberties Union

Repository:

Swarthmore College Peace Collection

Extent:

2.5 linear feet

Preferred Citation:

Cite as: [Identification of item], in the American Civil Liberties Records (CDGA), Swarthmore College Peace Collection

Date:

1917 (inclusive)

Creator:

American Civil Liberties Union

Abstract:

The ACLU grew out of the American Union Against Militarism, which was founded in 1916 and dissolved in 1922. A subsection of the AUAM was called the National Civil Liberties Bureau; in 1920 it changed its name to the American Civil Liberties Union. Roger Baldwin was its director for 30 years (1920-1950), followed by Patrick Murphey Malin. Today, the ACLU is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, 275,000-member public interest organization, devoted to protecting the basic civil liberties of all Americans, and extending them to those people for whom they have traditionally been denied. Its national office is in New York City, with a legislative office in Washington, D.C. It has a 50-state network of staffed affiliate offices, 300 chapters, and regional offices in Dallas and Atlanta. The ACLU has more than 60 staff attorneys collaborating with 2,000 volunteer attorneys to handle close to 6,000 cases per year.

The ACLU grew out of the American Union Against Militarism, which was founded in 1916 and dissolved in 1922. A subsection of the AUAM was called the National Civil Liberties Bureau; in 1920 it changed its name to the American Civil Liberties Union. Roger Baldwin was its director for 30 years (1920-1950), followed by Patrick Murphey Malin.

Today, the ACLU is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, 275,000-member public interest organization, devoted to protecting the basic civil liberties of all Americans, and extending them to those people for whom they have traditionally been denied. Its national office is in New York City, with a legislative office in Washington, D.C. It has a 50-state network of staffed affiliate offices, 300 chapters, and regional offices in Dallas and Atlanta. The ACLU has more than 60 staff attorneys collaborating with 2,000 volunteer attorneys to handle close to 6,000 cases per year.

The collection of ACLU material at the Peace Collection consists of only sporadic records from the national office and several local offices, dating from 1917 to the present.

The records from the national office are organized chronologically. The branch office records are organized separately, and alphabetically by state.