The American Civil Liberties Union Records document the activities of the Union in protecting individual rights from 1920 through 1995. The files contain materials on freedom of speech, expression, and association; due process of law; equality before the law; legal case files; and organizational records. Within these categories files reflect subject areas such as academic freedom, censorship, racial discrimination, aliens' rights, privacy concerns, labor concerns, amnesty, and government loyalty and security. The files reflect work on litigation, advocacy and public policy, and subject files on various areas of interest connected with civil liberties. Materials include correspondence, court documents, memoranda, printed matter, minutes, reports, briefs, and legal files. Also included are materials from ACLU affiliate organizations, and the Lawyers Constitutional Defense Committee.

The ACLU is the preeminent civil liberties organization in the United States. These records document the work of their national office in the areas of civil rights, children and women's rights, freedom of speech (and all First Amendment questions), and due process, among many others, predominantly from 1970 to 2000.

The Records of the Association on American Indian Affairs document the corporate life of an influential and resilient player in the history of twentieth-century Native American advocacy. From its formation by non-Indians in New York in 1922 to its re-establishment in South Dakota in 1995 under a wholly Indian administration, the AAIA has defended the rights and promoted the welfare of Native Americans and, in this process, has shaped the views of their fellow citizens. The AAIA has waged innumerable battles over the years, touching on the material and spiritual well-being of Indians in every state of the Union: from the right of Native Americans to control their resources to their right to worship freely; from their right to federal trusteeship to their right to self-determination. The evolving nature of this struggle, in terms of conception and execution; the environment in which it was waged, both within and without the AAIA; the parade of men and women who figured in it; and the relationships among them can all be found in the abundant and insightful records which constitute these Records. The correspondence, minutes, reports, articles, clippings, and other documents in the collection, augmented by photographic and audiovisual material, represent a window not only on the AAIA but on the entities and personalities with which it interacted. While its vision has co-existed with others, and while it has been far from alone in its contribution to Indian life, no consideration of twentieth-century Native American affairs can disregard its arduous and, for the most part, fruitful work.

George Stanley McGovern was a Congressman (1957-1961), a U.S. Senator (1963-1981), and a Democratic presidential nominee known for his strong liberal stance, particularly during the Vietnam War. This collection contains legislation files, campaign materials, correspondence, speech texts, schedules and invitations, travel files, patronage files, subject files, photographs, and audiovisual materials documenting McGovern's activities in the House of Representatives and in the U.S. Senate, as well as his time as Director of Food for Peace.

The Regional Offices series documents the work and administration of the ACLU's three regional offices: Mountain States Regional Office, concerned with civil rights in the west and Native American rights, the Southern Regional Office, focusing on civil rights in the south, and the Washington, D.C. office, which concentrates on national legislation and the actions of the federal government. The files include correspondence, case files, office publications, research files, and the papers of individual staff members. Subgroup 3, Subseries 5B (Southern Regional Office) has been digitized and is available for members of the Princeton community to view here. To view the database from outside Princeton University, please see the Guide to the American Civil Liberties Union Records.

H. Alexander Smith served as the executive secretary of Princeton University and was later elected to the United States Senate representing New Jersey. Smith made contributions to United States foreign policy while serving on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The bulk of documentation focuses on his tenure in the Senate and the period immediately after his retirement; reports, correspondence, and printed material from his work at Princeton are also included. The papers contain diaries, correspondence, speeches, notes, photographs, and memorabilia.

Harold Raymond Medina (1888-1990) was a noted jurist, Princeton alumnus, and creator of a New York State Bar preparation course. This collection includes legal records, personal and professional correspondence, photographs, audio recordings, and teaching materials; in aggregate, they offer a substantial record of Medina's life and work.

The organization that became Americans United for Separation of Church and State was founded in 1947 to protect church-state separation and religious freedom, as well as to educate lawmakers, religious leaders, and the general public regarding Constitutional religious liberties. The records document the administration and issues of the organization from its founding and include correspondence, meeting materials, and publications.

The Eugene M. Becker Papers consist primarily of planning documents, position papers, articles, addresses, correspondence, and scrapbooks which document Becker's career in public service as Budget Director of New York City under Mayor John Lindsay; Assistant Secretary of the United States Army during the Johnson and Nixon administrations; and Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Mentor Group, a research institute focusing on constitutional, legal-economic comparative studies and sponsor of the Forum for US-EU Legal-Economic Affairs, the Forum for Russian Legal-Economic Affairs, and the Central European Forum for Legal-Economic Affairs.

The Veerni Project is a non-governmental organization based in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India, which provides secondary education and boarding hostels for girls from rural villages in the Thar Desert region. The collection documents the organization's operations, including funding, programming, administration, outreach, and impact.