Bill Of Rights During The French Revolution

Introduction

Today, you might take human rights for granted but not long ago, it barely existed. Many citizens lived without basic rights and access to justice. They also had to endure constant military occupation and the feudalism system. Over time, many people grew tired of this and rebelled, this only caused the situation to become worse with even stricter rules. This culminated in the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215. Conditions would improve over the course of history with the US's Constitution and Bill of Rights.

With the start of the French Revolution, new ideals and new standards were implemented. No longer were the people bound by ancient law and feudalism but by common logic and laws that applied to all hierarchies of people. The

From there on, many legal cases would start using the Bill of Rights to establish results during court. Today, it is commemorated as the beginning of the modern human rights.

Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen

The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen (DOROMAC) was a human civil rights document written during the early periods of the French Revolution. Drafted by General Lafayette, along with Thomas Jefferson and Honore Mirabeau, the DOROMAC took influence from the US Bill of Rights and earlier documents. During the French Revolution, many revolutionaries believed in equality of man (and women) which found its way into the DOROMAC. As the first statement says: "Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be founded only upon the general good."

Whether it also applies to women is a continued debate today though many historians believe that as the statement implies, people are of equal qualities. The French Revolution saw a boom in women's rights, suppression of feudal systems and abolishment of the Ancien Regime (Kings and Queens). Parts of the DOROMAC were used to draft the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Here are the contents of DOROMAC in somewhat simpler language:

1. All people are born

The official founding date was October 24th, 1945. When first founded, the UN had 51 official members as follows:

France, the Republic of China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Byelorussia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Liberia, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Syria, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, Venezuela and Yugoslavia.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was first drafted in the third session of the United Nations General Assembly. Of the 51 countries, 48 voted in favour, 8 abstained, 2 did not vote and no country was against the Declaration. The Declaration drew inspiration from the Magna Carta, DOROMAC, US Bill of Rights and the English Bill of Rights. The very first line of the Declaration states that" All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood". This line most likely drawn from the