Revolution and the New Nation (1754-1820s)

World History

Law and Government

This collection uses primary sources to explore the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen.

The text of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, written in 1789, translated into English.

An image of *egalité* or equality, created in 1793, holding the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.

An excerpt from *The Evolution of Modern Liberty* by George Scherger, 1904.

The text of England’s Magna Carta or “Great Charter,” written in 1215; ideas in this document later influenced the Declaration.

An excerpt from *Two Treatises of Government*, written by the Enlightenment philosopher John Locke in 1690. 

An engraving of the Marquis de Lafayette created by Noel De Mire in 1781.

The text of the Virginia Bill of Rights, written in 1776.

The text of the US Bill of Rights, with commentary from the bicentennial commemoration in 1989.

A pamphlet containing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights created in 1949.

An 1889 portrait of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who helped to organize the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848. 

The Seneca Falls Convention was the founding moment of the American women's rights movement. 

A letter from Ho Chi Minh to Harry Truman in 1946 regarding the US involvement in Vietnamese independence from France.

An excerpt from the text of the “US Human Rights Policy Toward Africa,” published in 2001 by the United States Institute of Peace.

Questions

1. Look closely at the [image of *egalité*](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/declaration-of-the-rights-of-man-and-of-the-citizen/sources/890) and explain some of the symbols and allegorical elements in the image.
2. Look at the text of the [Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/declaration-of-the-rights-of-man-and-of-the-citizen/sources/889). How does this document embody the French Revolution ideas of liberty, equality, and fraternity? Categorize the main points of the Declaration itself into these three ideas. What concepts from the Declaration are left out?
3. The [Magna Carta](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/declaration-of-the-rights-of-man-and-of-the-citizen/sources/892), Locke’s [*Two Treatises of Government*](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/declaration-of-the-rights-of-man-and-of-the-citizen/sources/893), the [Virginia Bill of Rights](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/declaration-of-the-rights-of-man-and-of-the-citizen/sources/895), and the [US Bill of Rights](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/declaration-of-the-rights-of-man-and-of-the-citizen/sources/896) all contributed to the ideas found in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. Choose one of the contributing documents and describe what particular ideas the document offered to the Declaration. Cite specific textual evidence that links the document to the Declaration.
4. The [Virginia Bill of Rights](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/declaration-of-the-rights-of-man-and-of-the-citizen/sources/895) states that “all men are by nature equally free and independent and have certain inherent rights.” It was passed and adopted at a time when Virginians (and many of the framers and signers of this document) were enslaving people of African descent. What questions does this document raise about the United States’s involvement in the “peculiar institution” of slavery?
5. Trace the ideals of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen through the [Universal Declaration of Human Rights](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/declaration-of-the-rights-of-man-and-of-the-citizen/sources/897), the events of the [Seneca Falls Convention](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/declaration-of-the-rights-of-man-and-of-the-citizen/sources/898), the [letter from Ho Chi Minh](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/declaration-of-the-rights-of-man-and-of-the-citizen/sources/899), and the [“US Human Rights Policy Toward Africa.”](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/declaration-of-the-rights-of-man-and-of-the-citizen/sources/900) How do ideals of the Declaration still permeate governments and societies around the world today? 


Activity

Ask students to create a public-service video describing the origins, content, and legacy of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, including information about how it is still applicable today. Ask students to include specific textual evidence from a variety of sources in this set. Challenge students to incorporate historical information and contemporary relevance while keeping the video under a sixty- or ninety-second time limit.


Teaching Guide: Exploring the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

Resources

1. [Creating the United States: Declaration Legacy](https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/creating-the-united-states/declaration-legacy.html), Library of Congress.  
2. [French Revolution Digital Archive](http://frda.stanford.edu/?locale=en), Stanford University Libraries and Bibliothèque nationale de France. 
3. [A Brief History of Human Rights](http://www.humanrights.com/what-are-human-rights/brief-history/cyrus-cylinder.html), United for Human Rights. 

Overview

The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, written in August 1789, is a central document of the French Revolution and fundamental to the history of both civil and human rights. It was strongly influenced by America’s Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson; The Marquis de Lafayette, a veteran of the American Revolution and friend of Jefferson, wrote the French Declaration. He persuaded the National Assembly to adopt the document in 1789, shortly after the fall of Bastille prison, a symbol of the ancien régime, the old regime, and the feudal system in France. The Declaration relies heavily on the Enlightenment philosophy of natural rights, or rights that are universal and inalienable for all individuals, and embodies the French Revolution ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity. At the time of its creation, the Declaration united people of various social classes (the first, second, and third estate) as they began an often-violent revolution; after, its words echoed in future French constitutions and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) created by the United Nations. Belief in “human rights,” particularly the right of a people to break the social contract between themselves and their government when that government is oppressive, permeates our world today.

English

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

declaration-rights-man-citizen_10_a3e9e27979c87bb191d5a43a56d20120.jpg

Courtesy of National Portrait Gallery via Smithsonian Institution.

Klumpke, Anna Elizabeth, “Elizabeth Cady Stanton,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/a3e9e27979c87bb191d5a43a56d20120.

An 1889 portrait of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who helped to organize the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848.

Cite this item

Tips for Students

Item 10 of 12 in the Primary Source Set Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen