American Civil Liberties Union Flashcards, test questions and answers
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What is American Civil Liberties Union?
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a non-profit organization that works to defend and protect individuals’ civil liberties and rights, both in the United States and internationally. Founded in 1920, the ACLU has grown to become one of the most influential organizations in the countryprotecting civil liberties through litigation, communication with legislators, advocacy campaigns and public education. Throughout its history, it has worked tirelessly to protect freedom of speech, voting rights, religious freedom, LGBT rights and other constitutional rights.At its core, the ACLU strives for a government that follows the U.S Constitution’s guarantee of individual liberty for all people. It does so by opposing laws or policies it believes are unconstitutional or violate basic human liberties. This includes fighting against discrimination on all grounds such as race, gender identity or sexual orientation; defending reproductive freedoms; advocating for immigrants’ rights; protecting privacy; challenging excessive surveillance tools used by law enforcement; advocating against torture or cruel punishments; and protecting workers’ rights among other issues which arise from time to time. In recent times The ACLU has been at the forefront of challenging many controversial government policies particularly those involving immigration such as President Donald Trump’s Travel Ban on Muslim-majority countries and his border wall proposal along with numerous attempts at curbing legal immigration into US from certain countries and regions. Through legal action it also successfully blocked implementation of some version of Trump’s travel ban as well as his family separation policy at US borders which was widely condemned by human rights advocates around the world. The ACLU is funded primarily through donations from individuals but also receives grants from foundations as well as contributions from corporations including those who do business with governmental entities. Led by an executive director Anthony D Romero , currently there are more than 1 million members across 50 states , two territories ,and Washington DC chapter making it one of America’s largest civil rights organisations. It is safe to say that without support provided by organizations like The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), many hard-fought gains made towards protecting individual liberty would not exist today nor would they continue into future generations if left unattended.