ABSTRACT
The founding of Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) in 1947 nearly coincides with the advent of civil liberties as an issue that can be clearly demarcated with respect to voting in Congress. Aage Clausen, who pioneered the study of issues that have produced cleavages in Congress, pegged 1949 as the first year that such cleavages could be identified. Complaints abounded of injustices in the Employee Loyalty Program with its plethora of security boards passing judgment on the loyalty of federal employees and reinforcing the concept of "guilt by association" in the United States. The ADA became tantamount to a faction of the Democratic Party, historically the more heterogeneous of the two major parties, that promotes implementation of the party platform. The group develops measures of liberalism for votes in Congress and grades members accordingly. The organization continues to voice concern for the maintenance of civil liberties and to support candidates who favor such freedoms.
