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Collection Overview

Creator:
American civil liberties union
Title:
American Civil Liberties Union Records: Subgroup 4
Repository:
Public Policy Papers
Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/zc77sq511
Dates:
1920-2015 (mostly 1970-2000)
Size:
1068 boxes and 4 items
Storage Note:
  • Mudd Manuscript Library (scamudd): Boxes 4572-5083; 5121-5675
Language:
English

Abstract

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.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

These records document the work of the ACLU's national office in the areas of civil rights, children and women's rights, freedom of speech (and all First Amendment questions), due process, the right to privacy, and church-state separation issues, among others, predominantly from 1970 to 2000. A large portion of the records are related to the numerous cases that ACLU was involved in related to a wide range of civil rights issues. The records also document the works of ACLU projects, notably the Arts Censorship Project, Capital Punishment Project, Children's Rights Project, Reproductive Freedom Project, Voters' Rights Project and Women's Rights Project, and the work of their Mountain States Regional Office, Southern Regional Office, and Washington Regional Office.

Arrangement

Within individual boxes, the order in which files were placed by the ACLU has been maintained. Boxes in series one, two, five, six, seven, and eight are in no particular order; boxes in series four have been ordered by court case and by record type.

Folder lists may contain duplicate or missing folder numbers; these lists are provided by the ACLU and may reflect the removal of some materials before transfer to Princeton University.

Collection Creator Biography:

American civil liberties union

The ACLU is the preeminent civil liberties organization in the United States. The ACLU describes itself as "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." Since its inception in 1920, the ACLU has played a part in nearly every significant American social or political issue in the 20th century. This includes important work 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.

For a more detailed history of the ACLU, please see the history in the finding aid for the processed portion of the ACLU Records.

Collection History

Acquisition:

Transferred periodically from the ACLU. This portion of the collection consists of several transfers: one in March 2011 (ML.2011.011); one in December 2011 (ML.2011.037); one, consisting entirely of Children's Rights Project records, in April 2012 (ML.2012.012); one in March 2015 (ML.2015.009); one in September 2015 (ML.2015.034); one in August 2016 (ML-2016-022); and one in December 2017 (ML-2017-032).

Appraisal

Some confidential records have been removed from the collection by the ACLU prior to being transferred to Princeton University. Additionally, as confidential records are discovered by Mudd Library staff during legal restriction reviews, these records are removed and periodically returned to the ACLU.

Approximately 1.5 linear feet of materials pertaining to the case Weaver v. Nebo School District were removed from the collection and returned to the ACLU in August 2015.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Maureen Callahan during the course of several transfers in 2011 and 2012 and by Rachel Van Unen in 2015-2017. Descriptive metadata was created by staff at the American Civil Liberties Union archives before transfer to the Mudd Library. Finding aid written by Adriane Hanson and Maureen Callahan in April 2011 and updated upon further accruals by Rachel Van Unen .

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

The ACLU Records have been reviewed for legal restrictions, and the collection contains both open and restricted materials. Please see the restriction notes in the file inventory for more specific information.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

American Civil Liberties Union Records: Subgroup 4; Public Policy Papers, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/zc77sq511
Location:
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library
65 Olden Street
Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
(609) 258-6345
Storage Note:
  • Mudd Manuscript Library (scamudd): Boxes 4572-5083; 5121-5675