Response to the Declaration of Rights of Man

Rishab Chawla
Dr. Colatrella
LMC 3112
In this work, General Lafayette puts forth a social contract outlining mans natural rights
and seems to draw influence from both the United States Declaration of Independence and
Enlightenment thinkers in its preamble and articles. The preamble outlines the French peoples
motivation for enumerating these fundamental rights, while the clauses clearly and deliberately
list moral stipulations. Truly, the clauses serve to explain their rights as unalienable and
guaranteed. It is noteworthy that the first clause of the articles claims that all men are born
equally but also includes a qualifier statement claiming that social distinctions among citizens
are permissible so long as they provide for the greater good. Ironically, Jefferson included no
such statement in the US Declaration of Independence, although he believed that AfricanAmerican slaves were racially inferior. Perhaps the French people may have felt that this
qualifying statement was necessary after acknowledging the slavery situation in the United
States. The remainder of the clauses assert the values of popular sovereignty, secular natural law,
and more. Overall, the clauses are very similar to those of the US Declaration, which was itself
influenced by American Enlightenment philosophers such as John Locke. The document was an
essential part of the French Revolution and marked a key point in the history of human rights.