Finding aid for the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, Cleveland Chapter Records

History of the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, Cleveland Chapter

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), an organization formed to "defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties" guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States was first established in the in 1920 by Roger Baldwin and a group of associates formerly of the National Civil Liberties Bureau. In the years after World War I, a fear of communism known as "The Red Scare" was overtaking America. In 1919 and 1920 Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer began having those considered left wing radicals arrested and deported without regard to their constitutionally protected rights against unlawful search and seizure (the Palmer raids). The formation of the ACLU became the outgrowth of opposition to what became known as "The Palmer Raids" and other such violations of civil liberties. This early ACLU also focused on the rights of labor unions to meet and organize. Through the years the organization has grown to address many challenges to civil liberties and today the American Civil Liberties Union focuses on defending first amendment rights, equal protection under the law, due process rights, and privacy rights.

The Cleveland chapter was established in 1922 as an affiliate of the ACLU along with a Cincinnati chapter. Youngstown had the first affiliate in Ohio beginning in 1920 which played an important role in publicizing the work of the ACLU and bringing about the formation of the Cleveland and Cincinnati chapters. The Cleveland chapter was active throughout the 1920s and 1930s focusing on cases concerning unionization, Communism, and religious freedom. The ACLU's popularity both nationally and locally suffered during World War II as national attention shifted to global affairs. The Cleveland chapter closed but was revived in 1950 with the rise of a second red scare known as McCarthyism. The Cincinnati and Youngstown chapters were also revived during this period and eventually five more chapters throughout the state were started. During this same period with the rise of the activities of the National and Ohio House on un-American activities committees and other civil liberty issues of the day, there was a movement to begin an official Ohio affiliate of the ACLU, which culminated in the Granville Conference on April 1, 1951. Three weeks later the group met again and the ACLU of Ohio was born with Jack Day as the first state chairman. The Ohio affiliate was recognized by the national ACLU on January 23, 1954 with Oscar Steinman as chairman. The Ohio affiliate was created as a way for the local chapters to coordinate more easily on larger statewide cases and issues. Currently, the office of the ACLU of Ohio is located here in Cleveland at the Max Wohl Civil Liberties Center on Chester Avenue and has nearly 30,000 members and supporters.

After the rebirth of the Cleveland chapter in 1950, it faced struggles as it was plagued by frequent budget woes and lack of membership. It was a very dangerous time to be a member of the ACLU as it was seen as sympathetic to communists during a period of extreme anticommunist feelings. It gained publicity by holding debates and radio talks about civil liberties throughout the city. The chapter focused its first lobbying efforts on maintaining communist and fascist rights. The Cleveland chapter worked through its issues and although most of its legal action through 1968 was in the form of amicus briefs, it did take on some cases that became very famous and influential. Some examples are the Oscar Smilak case, 1953, Mapp v. Ohio in 1961, and the famous obscenity case Jacobellis v. Ohio in 1964.

Efforts of the Cleveland chapter in the 1960s and 1970s focused on the rights of educators, students, prisoners, the mentally ill, and women. The chapter was also focused on obscenity challenges. It worked with the National Committee against Repressive Legislation (NCARL) which strove to put an end to the House Un-American Activities Committee/House Internal Security Committee and Subversive Activities Control Board which were still in existence until 1972 and had gotten their start back in the red scare of the 1950s. The Cleveland Chapter did an extensive court observation project in the early to mid 1970s that monitored the Cuyahoga County Justice System and it also worked to help raise money for the legal defense fund of those indicted in the Kent State incident among other initiatives.

Scope and Content

The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, Cleveland Chapter Records, 1958-1978 and undated, consist of advertisements, agendas, bills, case briefs and notes, contracts, correspondence, fundraising records, membership lists, minutes, newspaper clippings, notices, original research, press releases, programs, and proposed legislation.

This collection is of value to researchers studying the American Civil Liberties Union and how it relates to the history of Cleveland and northeast Ohio. Researchers interested in issues related to social reform and civil liberties organizations and movements during the period of 1967-1978 in the United States generally and in Cleveland, Ohio more specifically will find this collection useful. There are many civil liberties issues both locally and nationally touched upon in these files ranging from police brutality issues in Cleveland Heights, the Hough Riots, and Cleveland Councilman Jackson's attempt to create a committee to investigate extremists to Vietnam War protests, the Kent State shootings, and impeachment proceedings of President Nixon. This collection documents the advocacy efforts of the chapter on behalf of prisoners, educators, students, the mentally ill, and women. The press releases, committee files, projects and activities files, board of directors correspondence, and executive directors reports are areas of the collection that really focus on this information. Material related to the Cleveland chapter of the ACLU's work with the National Committee Against Repressive Legislation which dealt with so-called subversive activities can be found in Series I: sub-series A: Board of Directors correspondence, executive director's reports, and sub-series H: general subject files, repressive legislation. The court observation project records provide an in-depth look at the day-to-day operations of the Cuyahoga County justice system. Legal researchers will find the extensive legal files to be very useful as well. Researchers interested in the administrative, financial, and public relations operations of the American Civil Liberties Union chapter in Cleveland and its relationships with other chapters and the national office will find this collection useful. The chapter monitored cases adjudicated in local, state, and federal district courts in Ohio and other states and cases argued before the Unites States Supreme Court, and these activities are documented in this collection.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

Personal case files are sealed for forty years after the date of creation. A serious scholar will be permitted access to such materials only fulfilling the following requirements: 1. Completion of this formal written application. 2. [Applicable to graduate students] Submission of a letter from faculty advisor describing the nature of the research and attesting to the scholarly significance of the work and the integrity and professional competence of the student. 3. Submission to an interview by the Executive Director of the ACLU. If, after completing these requirements, the researcher receives permission to use confidential materials, the collections will be open to him under the following conditions:

1. The files must be used in accordance with the general rules of the Library and with any specific restrictions applicable to a particular collection. 2. The researcher may not, under any circumstance, record in his notes, introduce into his final work, or otherwise disclose any proper names or information that would permit the determination of proper names. 3. All notes must be taken on paper supplied by the Library. No other note paper will be allowed at the researcher's desk. 4. All notes must be submitted for inspection to a designated library official before the researcher leaves the building. 5. A copy of any research paper based on the notes must, upon its completion be submitted to the Library of the Western Reserve Historical Society  

The researcher should also consult MS 3935 Russel N. Chase Papers.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 5047 American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, Cleveland Chapter Records, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Gift of the ACLU of Ohio, Cleveland Chapter in 1995.

Processing Information

Processed by Laura Hanna in 2010.

Detailed Description of The Collection