The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was formed in the early 1920s in response to the Red Scare, a fear of Communism following WWI and the Russian Revolution, which led to the false imprisonment of countless individuals. Over the years, the ACLU has addressed many other civil liberties abuses and was vocal on key issues involving race discrimination, gender discrimination, individual privacy, religious privacy, and sexual freedoms. Today, the organization continues to fight for individual rights and freedoms, including the right to privacy from the government.

The ACLU Carroll County Chapter was organized in 1968 and first met on April 7, 1969 on the campus of West Georgia College. Membership was comprised of community members, university faculty, and students. Throughout its existence, the Carroll County chapter had numerous service projects which included emergency legal advice, investigation on complaints against the police, court watching, and the establishment of an award which went to local individuals and groups who made a special effort to uphold the rights of their fellow citizens.

Moreover, the ACLU Carroll County Chapter focused the majority of its attention and resources on cases involving students. Two such cases within the collection are termed “The Carrollton 23” and “The Rocking Chair Case.” The Carrollton 23 involved a group of twenty-three individuals, nineteen of whom were students at West Georgia College, who were arrested on drug charges at Jackson Court apartments in May of 1971. Despite protests against the broad drug raid that resulted in their arrests, the nineteen students were indicted for violating the Georgia Drug Abuse Control Act. The Rocking Chair case garnered nationwide attention and involved Eva Pearson and Cathy Hess, both students at West Georgia, who were charged and arrested for the theft of a $5.00 rocking chair taken from an abandoned house. Both women thought it was acceptable to take the chair because some friends at a party told them that the house had been abandoned for a decade. Pearson and Hess were issued one year prison sentences. Hess appealed, but Pearson served four months in jail before she was released.