With the exception of the U.S. Department of Justice, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) appears before the U.S. Supreme Court more than any other organization. The ACLU defends the freedoms of any citizen of the United States, even prisoners. Regardless of race, religion, age, or gender, the ACLU defends anyone whose rights were violated. The organization has made a lot of process since it formed in 1920. Before the ACLU became involved, no free speech defense trial had ever been won in the Supreme Court. The organization played a major role in almost every critical civil liberties case in the past century. The American Civil Liberties Union has a positive social impact on society by defending the rights of the public.
In 1915, a group of people in New York formed the American Union Against Militarism (AUAM). They wrote and distributed anti-war newsletters, magazines and pamphlets. At this time, anyone speaking against the war was called un-patriotic. Social workers, Crystal Eastman and Roger Baldwin, created a group within the AUAM to help with legal cases of people who had been prosecuted for speaking out against the war. President Woodrow Wilson said, “The authority to exercise censorship is absolutely necessary to the public safety” (qtd. in Grabianowski). The AUAM eventually faded because Eastman and Baldwin were involved with so called radical groups. When the AUAM split, Eastman and Baldwin formed the National Civil Liberties Bureau (NCLB). During the war years, the NCLB lost almost every case. “President Theodore Roosevelt called these pacifists ‘enemies at home’” (Grabianowski). At this time, the Supreme Court was openly against civil liberties. As a result of Baldwin refusing to comply with the draft and going...
... middle of paper ...
...oing on in the world. During the 1970s, the war in Vietnam and the Watergate scandal caused membership to rocket from 140,000 members to 275,000 members. During the Skokie trials, Jewish members couldn’t handle that the ACLU was defending Nazis, so membership dropped by 75,000 people. When Ronald Reagan entered the White House, the ACLU had an identifiable enemy. This caused the membership to increase by 50,000. The feud over the ACLU between George Bush and Michael Dukakis, who claimed he was a card-carrying member of the ACLU, caused membership to surge to over 350,000 members. As a result of the argument ending, when it came time for these members to renew their membership, they declined. To encourage more members to join, the ACLU hired an advertising agency. This agency came up with an idea to put ads in the classifieds so people looking for a job would see them.
The Schenck case in the early 1900s dealt with the freedom of speech as it related to the draft of World War I. Charles Schenck sent mass mail that stated “the draft was a monstrous wrong motivated by the capitalist system” (Schenck v. United States). The federal government found this to be in violation of the Clear and Present Danger Test as well as the Espionage Act and arrested Schenck for his actions. The case proceeded to the Supreme Court and was ruled in favor of the United States unanimously. The opinion of the court violates the free speech clause as well as a right to have peaceful protest by denying Schenck to share his opinions of the draft with others despite the opinion of the government on this action. Due to these violations the ruling on the Schneck v. United States case should be overturned in order to protect the right of free speech and protest to all citizens.
Schenek v. United States was a trial in 1919 that reaffirmed the conviction of a man for circulating antidraft leaflets among members of the armed forces. This trial upheld the Espionage and Sedition Acts, which by many deemed unconstitutional. The Espionage Act of 1917 was a United States federal law, which made it a crime for a person to convey information with intent to interfere with the operation or success of the armed forces of the United States or to promote the success of its enemies. The Sedition Act forbade Americans to use "disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language" about the United States government, flag, or armed forces during war. The act also allowed the Postmaster General to deny mail delivery to dissenters of government policy during wartime. These two laws denied the freedom of speech that our sacred Bill of Rights was supposed to uphold. The antidraft flyers that Schenek passed out claimed to be freedom of speech so the government could not stop the circulation of Schenek’s pamphlets. However, by passing out antidraft laws, Schenek had “the intent to interfere with the operation of success of the armed forces of the United States.” By doing this, he broke the law. He was sentenced to six months in prison for breaking an unconstitutional law. The government was trying to reduce the freedom of speech during a time of war so that the nation would be united as one. The opposition of some feared Woodrow Wilson and his cabinet so they took action by reducing some freedoms and imprisoning many people unconstitutionally.
Because it is a Constitutional right, the concept of freedom of speech is hardly ever questioned. “On its most basic level [freedom of speech] means you can express an opinion without fear of censorship by the government, even if that opinion is an unpopular one” (Landmark Cases). However, the actions of Americans that are included under “free speech,” are often questioned. Many people support the theory of “free speech,” but may oppose particular practices of free speech that personally offend them. This hypocrisy is illustrated by the case of Neo-Nazis whose right to march in Skokie, Illinois in 1979 was protested by many, but ultimately successfully defended by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The residents of this predominantly Jewish town which contained many Holocaust survivors were offended by the presence of the Neo-Nazis. However, then ACLU Executive Director Aryeh Neier, who...
Schultz, David, and John R. Vile. The Encyclopedia of Civil Liberties in America. 710-712. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale Virtual Reference Library, n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. .
Objectors were targeted in the Red Scare after the war. They were condemned as cowards, pro-German socialists, also they were also accused of spreading propaganda throughout the United States. Many organizations stood up for the rights of the objectors. One was the National Civil Liberties Bureau, which would later be renamed the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU gained a reputation for helping people with liberal cases who were too poor to pay for their own representation in court.
...after one has suffered from fraudulent acts on one’s checking accounts. The NAACP has always been a constant fixture in the African American communities of American, aiding with legal funds, college assistance programs and a major icon in the Civil Rights movement.
The McCarthy era, which generally spanned from 1947 to 1957, brought to the forefront of American politics the question of civil rights. At issue were controversies about both First Amendment rights to assembly and free speech and Fifth Amendment rights to due process and freedom from self-incrimination. Anti-Communist actions often involved restrictions on these rights, and heading the anti-Communist movement was the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC). This committee, which consisted of government officials from Congress, was formed to investigate the threat of Communism in America. In doing so, the committee brought in witnesses, usually individuals thought to have, or to have had, Communist affiliations. The overzealous tendencies of HUAC, however, resulted in the use of bullying and smear tactics in its quest to expose a supposed Communist conspiracy. Coming to the defense of individuals under attack by anti-Communists was the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The ACLU’s aim was to champion civil rights, regardless of the ideologies of the groups it defended. Its activities have ranged, for example, from defending the rights of Nazis to protest during the seventies to espousing the abolition of segregated schools in the South during the fifties. In the McCarthy era, the ACLU had its hands full dealing with threats to civil rights that stemmed from anti-Communism. The ACLU, however, was not without its own anti-Communistic sentiments. Indeed, within the ACLU was a cadre of anti-Communist members that made it difficult at times for the ACLU to take a strong stance for the civil liberties of suspected Communists.
It is true that the NAACP stands as one of the progressive movement in America's major victories against legal, and thus political, oppression. . Within a few weeks this number was enlarged to about fifty, one-third of whom were from other cities than New York. It is The nation's oldest civil rights organization that has changed America's history. Despite violence, intimidation and hostile government policies, the NAACP and its grass-roots membership persevered. One of the most famous members of the NAACP was Rosa Parks who is known for her courageous acts when she was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama when she refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus back in 1955.
Schiller, W. J., Geer, J. G., & Segal, J. A. (2013). Gateways to democracy: introduction to American government, the essentials. (2nd ed.). Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth ;.
When the Second Constitutional Convention wrote the Constitution in 1787, there was a controversy between the federalists and the anti-federalists surrounding whether or not to have a Bill of Rights. The anti-federalists claimed that a bill of rights was needed that listed the guaranteed rights that the government could never take away from a person i.e. “inalienable rights.” A Bill of Rights was eventually deemed necessary, and has worked for over 210 years. There are many reasons why the ten amendments are still valid to this day, and the best examples are the First Amendment, concerning the freedom of religion, the Fifth Amendment, and the Sixth Amendment.
The civil rights movement in the United States has been a long, primarily nonviolent struggle to bring full civil rights and equality under the law to all Americans. It has been made up of many movements, though it is often used to refer to the struggles between 1945 and 1970 to end discrimination against African-Americans and to end racial segregation, especially in the U.S. South. It focuses on that particular struggle, rather than the comparable movements to end discrimination against other ethnic groups within the United States or those struggles, such as the women's liberation, gay liberation, and disabled rights movements, that have used similar tactics in pursuit of similar goals. The civil rights movement has had a lasting impact on United States society, both in its tactics and in increased social and legal acceptance of civil rights. One of the most important organizations of this era was the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). NAACP is an organization composed mainly of American blacks, but with many white members, whose goal is the end of racial discrimination and segregation.
Civil liberties and civil rights are some of the most controversial issues within today’s society and government. The debates upon these liberties and rights are paramount. Topics such as the infringement of government upon these rights, through laws and such, and even the infringement of society upon them, through the sentiments of equality that the people hold, seem to take center stage whenever they are discussed. This controversy stems from the Constitution’s Bill of Rights and its ambiguity upon the fourteenth amendment and how it should apply and grow with society. In my opinion, I feel that civil liberties and civil rights are crucial to our country as a whole, but to address them here, in their entirety, would be impossible and overall useless. Still, if I were in government and amending or interpreting the Constitution, while also keeping the changes I’d like to make to the Constitution in mind from my last essay, I would like to identify freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and the pursuit of happiness to be the most fundamental civil liberties and civil rights mentioned, and I would like to reiterate or add this to my constitution.
The Civil Rights Act of 1991 enacted into law on 21 November and enforced by EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission). The 1991 Act combined elements from the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which was the most comprehensive civil right legislation to pass Congress. It provides monetary damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination.
In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in the case of the Brown v. the Board of Education. This was a very historical moment because their ruling eliminated, the "separate but equal " doctrine. Their ruling called for school integration, although most school were very slow in complying if they complied at all. The NAACP, National Association for the Advancement of Color People, viewed this ruling as a success. The schools lack of the obedience toward this ruling, made it necessary for black activism to make the federal government implement the ruling, and possibly help close the racial gap that existed in places other than public schools. During one of the boycotts for equality, a leader emerged that would never be forgotten. Dr. Martin Luther King, who was leader of the Montgomery bus boycott, quickly became the spokesperson for racial equality. He believed that the civil rights movement would have more success if the black people would use non violent tactics. Some say he was adopting the style of Ghandi. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, SCLC, was formed by King and other activist in 1957. They were a group of black ministers and activist who agreed to try and possibly help others see the effects of a non violent movement. Also following the strategies set by the SCLC, a group known as the SNCC or the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, began a string of sit-in and campaigns as the black population continued it's fight for equality. It was the undying efforts of the two groups that paved the way for the march on Washington. This march which drew a crowd of at least 200,000, was the place that Dr. King, gave his famous "dream speech." Both the SNCC, and the SCLC were victims of lots of threats and attempted attacks, yet they continued to pursue freedom in a non violent fashion. However near the late 60's they had another problem on their hands. There was a group of activist known as the Black Panthers who were not so eager to adopt the non-violent rule. The believed that the civil rights movement pushed by Dr. King and is non-violent campaign, which was meant to give blacks the right to vote and eliminate segregation, was not solving problems faced in poor black communities. This Black Panther group, stabled the term "black power", which was used a sort of uplifting for the black self esteem.
Civil rights are the rights guaranteed to the citizens of the specified location. When looking back at our history our civil rights have changed our life forever. Our civil rights were first introduced in 1787 as our Constitution. The Constitution states that any citizen is guaranteed the right to freedom of speech, of religion, and of press, and the rights to due process of law and to equal protection under the law. Civil Rights Acts and Movements helped define all of the civil rights but mainly who the rights were for and what freedom of religion, and equal protection under the law truly intended.