Civil Liberties League is Formed -- January 19, 2020

Wheeling Intelligencer, January 26, 1920

100 years ago today, on 19-January-1920, the American Civil Liberties Union was formed to defend personal liberties in the United States.  

CIVIL LIBERTIES

LEAGUE IS FORMED

NEW YORK, Jan. 25. -- The formation of a new organization to be known as the American Civil Liberties union, "to champion in the highest courts the civil liberty rights of persons and organizations," was announced here tonight by Prof. Harry F. Ward of the Union Theological seminary, who will head the union. Others who will serve on the executive committee will be Helen Phelps Stokes, treasurer; Albert De Silver and Roger N. Baldwin. Walter Nelles is to be chief counsel.

On the national committees of the new organization are James H. Maurer, president of the Pennsylvania State Federation of Labor; Duncan McDonald, president of the Illinois State Federation of Labor; Helen Keller Hollquit, Jane Addams, Prof. Robert Morse Lovett and John Sayre.

The union, according to Prof. Ward, will fight in the courts all attempts to violate the right of free speech, free press and peaceful assemblage. He added that it was proposed to keep "industrial struggles in conformity with the constitution of the United States and of the several states of the union."