The American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, was born after World War I. World War I had created a communist fear that swept the United States. It was called the Red Scare. As a result, legislators, particularly one named Mitchell A. Palmer, arrested everyone who was part of the movement and were deemed "radicals." This entire process became part of an event called "the Palmer Raids." Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay. Major violations of civil liberties followed, including arrests without warrants and deportations without trial. Faced with this enormous problem, the ACLU was born, primarily with a focus on free speech. It was founded specifically in 1920 by Roger Baldwin, Crystal Eastman and Walter Nelles. The ACLU's primary goal is to protect the civil liberties of all those entitled to them in the United States. In its current 94-year existence, the ACLU has accomplished much and won many cases in federal courts. One of the most landmark court cases in American history was one of the ACLU's first victories. The Scopes trial raised the important issue of teaching evolution in schools. The Tennessee legislature had passed a law banning the teaching of evolution in schools. The ACLU charged biology professor John T. Scopes with violating this law and asked him to teach it. Ultimately sued, the ACLU defended him with prominent attorney Clarence Darrow. Although Scopes was convicted, the trial made national headlines and quickly persuaded the public to change this law. The ACLU also participated in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, which was a case of racial segregation. With the NAACP, the case was won in Brown's favor and separate but equal facilities were permanently ended in the United States. The ACLU is a left-wing organization that supports the liberal side on many issues. It states that any political party can be a member of the ACLU and need only consistently defend the people's civil liberties and the Constitution. This seems to be a neutral view of political ideology. However, the Democratic Party defends civil liberties more than the Republican Party. The legislation they support is clearly part of the Democratic platforms. one such example is censorship and religion. The ACLU has historically fought for the separation of church and school. In several litigation cases, the ACLU has sued for the removal of the Ten Commandments from public lands. One even involved a lawsuit over the removal of a Christmas tree and menorah in New York. The Republican Party generally has a Christian following, which contrasts with the Democratic Party, which has a large majority of atheist and unaffiliated supporters. Other litigation that suggests the ACLU favors the Democratic Party involves the death penalty. The ACLU is strongly opposed to the death penalty and has taken steps to end it. They are involved in many death penalty cases and take steps to raise awareness through their education campaigns. The ACLU also actively fights for LGBT rights. They are leading massive campaigns in support of same-sex marriage and other constitutional violations of the LGBT community. On their website, they post announcements to hear about alleged violations of LGBT rights. The ACLU also brought the first-ever marriage case to court.