The American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, first came into being after World War I. World War I had created a communist fear that swept through the United States. This was known as the Red Scare. As a result, legislators, particularly one named Mitchell A. Palmer, rounded up anyone who was part of the movement and were deemed “radicals.” The entire process became part of an event dubbed "the Palmer Raids." Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Serious violations of civil liberties have occurred, including warrantless arrests and deportations without trial. Faced with this enormous problem, the ACLU was born, focusing primarily on free speech. It was specifically founded in 1920 by Roger Baldwin, Crystal Eastman, and Walter nelles. The ACLU's primary purpose is to protect the civil liberties of all those entitled to them in the United States. Over its current 94-year existence, the ACLU has accomplished much and won many cases in federal courts. One of the most important trials in US 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 teacher John T. Scopes with breaking this law and made him teach it. Ultimately prosecuted, the ACLU defended him with eminent attorney Clarence Darrow. Although Scopes was convicted, the trial made national news and soon convinced the public to change this law. The ACLU also played a role in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, which was a racial segregation case. With the NAACP, the case was won in Brown's favor and separate but equal facilities were discontinued forever in the United States. The ACLU is a left-wing organization that supports the liberal side of many issues. It states that any political party can be a member of the ACLU and that it is sufficient to consistently defend the civil liberties of the people and the Constitution. This appears to be a neutral view of political ideology. However, supporting civil liberties is something the Democratic Party does more than the Republican Party. The legislation they support is clearly part of Democratic platforms. one such example is censorship and religion. The ACLU has historically fought for the separation of church and school. In multiple litigation, the ACLU has sued to remove the Ten Commandments on public land. One such litigant even filed a lawsuit over the removal of a Christmas tree and Menorah in New York City. The Republican Party generally has a Christian following, in contrast to the Democratic Party, which has a large atheist/unaffiliated following. Other controversies that suggest the ACLU leans toward the Democratic Party involve the death penalty. The ACLU is strongly opposed to the death penalty and has taken steps to stop it. They are involved in many different death penalty cases, as well as taking steps to spread awareness through their education campaigns. The ACLU also fights hard for LGBT rights. They have massive campaigns to support gay marriage and other constitutional violations of the LGBT community. On their website there are announcements for the hearing of alleged violations of LGBT rights. The ACLU also brought the first gay marriage case to court in 1971; Baker vs. Nelson was lost, but it sparked the fight for gay rights. LGBT rights are one of the party's main party platforms.