The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is our nation's guardian of liberty, working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.

The American system of government is founded on two basic principles that need to be carefully balanced – majority rule and individual rights.

The original ten amendments to the Constitution – the Bill of Rights, ratified in 1791 – all contain limits on majority rule. In addition, the three post-Civil War amendments (the 13th, 14th, and 15th) as well as the 19th amendment expanding voting rights to women, all contain provisions protecting the civil liberties of individuals.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE ACLU

We protect American values. In many ways, the ACLU is the nation's most conservative organization. Our job is to conserve America's original civic values - the Constitution and the Bill of Rights - and defend the rights of every man, woman and child in this country. We're not anti-anything. The only things we fight are attempts to take away or limit your civil liberties, like your right to practice any religion you want (or none at all); or to decide in private whether or not to have a child; or to speak out - for or against - anything at all; or to be treated with equality and fairness, no matter who you are. We're there for you. Rich or poor, straight or gay, black or white or brown, urban or rural, pious or atheist, American-born or foreign-born, able-bodied or living with a disability. Every person in this country should have the same basic rights. And since our founding in 1920, we've been working hard to make sure no one takes them away.

A freedom lost to one is lost to all. If the rights of society's most vulnerable members are denied, then everybody’s rights are at risk.

The ACLU was founded by Roger Baldwin, Crystal Eastman, Albert DeSilver and others in 1920. The ACLU is non-profit and non-partisan. We do not receive any government funding. Member dues and contributions and grants from private foundations and individuals pay for the work we do. The ACLU, with headquarters in New York City, litigates across the nation and all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Our Washington, D.C., legislative office lobbies the U.S. Congress. We use strategic communications to educate the public about issues. And the ACLU has expanded its reach by applying international human rights standards in our complex post-9/11 world. A number of national projects address specific civil liberties issues: AIDS, capital punishment, lesbian and gay rights, immigrants' rights, prisoners' rights, reproductive freedom, voting rights, women's rights and workplace rights.

We are nonprofit and nonpartisan and have grown from a roomful of civil liberties activists to an organization of more than 500,000 members and supporters. We handle nearly 6,000 court cases annually from our offices in almost every state.

Click here to learn more about joining the ACLU.