Drill: What is a human right? What is the most important human right?

Human Rights Human rights are customs, practices and laws that have developed over centuries to protect people, races, groups and minorities from oppressive rules and/or governments. They are based on the principle that all members of the human race are equal.

Civil Rights The rights to liberty and equal treatment before the law, including provisions to safeguard the liberty of the person; freedom of speech, thought and faith; and the right to justice and freedom from unfair restrictions by the state.

Political Rights Freedom to vote, organize, participate in social movements, associations and parties, and to seek political office.

Social Rights Access to education and health care, security of employment, adequate housing and income maintenance, rights to a basic level of material wellbeing by virtue of one’s citizenship rather than an individual’s market capacity.

Example of Human Rights The right to life The right to liberty and freedom The right to the pursuit of happiness The right to live your life free of discrimination The right to control what happens to your own body and to make medical decisions for yourself

Lets hear what you think!

Is a disregard or violation of rights justified in order to: protect the laws from those actively working to overturn them? protect a legally formed government against overthrow? protect people from possible future terrorist acts? Why or why not?

Which is more important, the right to freedom or the right to safety? Why?

Do citizens have the right to hold opinions considered subversive (threatening, rebellious) by the government? Why or why not?

The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen August 27 th, 1789

Speakers/ Authors The speakers/authors of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen are people from the third estate who left the Estates General and declared themselves the “National Assembly.” Perspective The writers of the Declaration are writing this document as a way of creating a new constitution for France. They are upset with the absolute monarchy in France and their inability to create change within the country. This is because Louis XVI insists they vote by order, not head.

Context When Louis XVI refused to let the Estates General vote by head, representatives from the 3 rd Estate decided they should create a National Assembly. The third Estate only lasted for about 5 weeks and the King was not letting them know whether the vote would be by head or order. They decided not to present themselves as delegates of the 3 rd Estate, but as representative of the nation. A number of priests representing the clergy joined them and they became the National Assembly.

When the Assembly discovered that their normal meeting space was barred up, they met in a nearby indoor tennis court and swore ”not to separate, and to reassemble wherever circumstances require, until the constitution of the kingdom is established and consolidated upon firm foundations.” In between the establishment of a National Assembly and the approval of the Declaration, the Storming of the Bastille took place on July 14– the prison`s governor Bernard de Launey was beheaded 6 or 7 guards were killed

Starting on July 14 th and throughout the summer there was a series of riots known as the Great Fear. They wrote the Declaration, and is was approved on August 27 th, 1789.

The Tennis Court Oath

Storming of the Bastille

Issues Raised & Arguments “Natural Rights”– should be enjoyed equally by all citizens Rights of Man- “liberty, property, security and resistance to oppression” Many similarities to the Bill of Rights in the American Constitution Also deals with the idea of popular sovereignty- article 3 “The source of all sovereignty resides essentially in the nation; no group, no individual may exercise authority not emanating expressly therefrom” Law making powers in article 6 “Law is the expression of the general will”

Significance Preamble to the Constitution of Similar documents served as the preamble to the Constitution of 1793 Constitution of 1795 Declaration of the Rights of Woman, was written in 1791 by French activist and playwright Olympe de Gouges.

Analysis, Personal Comments and Opinions The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen promoted the natural rights of man and the rights to “liberty, property, security and resistance to oppression.” Have these ideas of equality from the French Revolution been carried on into modern society? Do we as Americans have all of these rights or does a great deal of privilege still exist in our society as it did in 18 th century France?