American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

Founded in 1920 primarily as a protector of free speech for anti-war protestors, the ACLU worked over the years to expand civil liberties in areas such as police interrogations, separation of church and state, and working with the NAACP to protect against discrimination. It defended several anti-war activists during the Viet Nam era. It conducts its work through a network of lawyers at affiliates in each state and is headquartered in New York.