<P> The ACLU was founded in 1920 by a committee including Helen Keller , Roger Baldwin , Crystal Eastman , Walter Nelles , Morris Ernst , Albert DeSilver , Arthur Garfield Hays , Jane Addams , Felix Frankfurter , Elizabeth Gurley Flynn , and Rose Schneiderman . Its focus was on freedom of speech , primarily for anti-war protesters . During the 1920s , the ACLU expanded its scope to include protecting the free speech rights of artists and striking workers , and working with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( NAACP ) to decrease racism and discrimination . During the 1930s , the ACLU started to engage in work combating police misconduct and supporting Native American rights . Many of the ACLU 's cases involved the defense of Communist Party members and Jehovah 's Witnesses . In 1940 , the ACLU leadership voted to exclude Communists from its leadership positions , a decision rescinded in 1968 . During World War II , the ACLU defended Japanese - American citizens , unsuccessfully trying to prevent their forcible relocation to internment camps . During the Cold War , the ACLU headquarters was dominated by anti-communists , but many local affiliates defended members of the Communist Party . </P>
<P> The ACLU was founded in 1920 by a committee including Helen Keller , Roger Baldwin , Crystal Eastman , Walter Nelles , Morris Ernst , Albert DeSilver , Arthur Garfield Hays , Jane Addams , Felix Frankfurter , Elizabeth Gurley Flynn , and Rose Schneiderman . Its focus was on freedom of speech , primarily for anti-war protesters . During the 1920s , the ACLU expanded its scope to include protecting the free speech rights of artists and striking workers , and working with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( NAACP ) to decrease racism and discrimination . During the 1930s , the ACLU started to engage in work combating police misconduct and supporting Native American rights . Many of the ACLU 's cases involved the defense of Communist Party members and Jehovah 's Witnesses . In 1940 , the ACLU leadership voted to exclude Communists from its leadership positions , a decision rescinded in 1968 . During World War II , the ACLU defended Japanese - American citizens , unsuccessfully trying to prevent their forcible relocation to internment camps . During the Cold War , the ACLU headquarters was dominated by anti-communists , but many local affiliates defended members of the Communist Party . </P>
when was the american civil liberties union formed
when was the american civil liberties union formed
1920
1920