ASU111: Human Rights

History of Human Rights

 Human Rights and its Antecedents
▪ Deliberations on these ideas can be recorded back to the ancient
civilization of Babylon, China and India.
▪ Human rights influenced the laws of Greek and Roman society and
were central to Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam
and Judaism.
▪ The notion of moral code, equitableness, righteousness and self-respect
were also crucial even in those communities who have not left written
records but the thoughts have been handed down the generations
through oral histories.
▪ Thus we can say that human rights are not a recent invention.

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 Cyrus Cylinder
▪ Originally, people had rights only because
of their membership in a group, such as a
family.
▪ Then, in 539 BC, Cyrus the Great, after
conquering the city of Babylon, did
something totally unexpected—he freed all
slaves to return home.
▪ Moreover, he declared people should
choose their own religion.
▪ The Cyrus Cylinder, a clay tablet
containing his statements, is the first
human rights declaration in
history. 3
 The Magna Carta
▪ The Magna Carta (1215) was a British document that was an
agreement stating that the sovereign or king had to consult with
the lords or barons of the kingdom in establishing certain public
policies.
▪ This was very important for the development of a constitutional
or limited government, but it was not a legitimate human rights
documents.
▪ The Magna Carta is acknowledged to be the originating
document which influenced the drafting of the English Liberties
and American Liberties Human Rights are primarily ethical in
nature.
▪ Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), John Locke (1632-1704) and Jean- The first official
Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) are the three main thinkers who document of human
developed the Natural Rights theory. rights was signed
by King John on
June 15,1215. 4
 The Petition of Right
Petition of Right, (1628) petition sent by the
English Parliament to King Charles I complaining of
a series of breaches of law. The petition sought
recognition of four principles: no taxation without
the consent of Parliament, no imprisonment without
cause, no quartering of soldiers on subjects, and
no martial law in peacetime. See also petition of
right.

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 The American Declaration of
Independence
The American Declaration of Independence (1776) was based on
the understanding that certain rights, such as ‘life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness’, were essential for all people.

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 The French Declaration of the
Rights of Man and Citizen
The French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen (1789)
challenged the sovereignty of the aristocracy and recognized the
‘liberty, equality and fraternity’ of individuals. These values were
in the United States’ Bill of Rights (1791), which recognized
freedom of speech, religion and the press in its Constitution, as
well as the right to peaceful assembly, private property and a
fair trial. Furthermore, the Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776)
declared a number of fundamental rights and freedoms.

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 History of Human Rights
The idea of human rights spread quickly to India, Greece and eventually Rome.
The most important advances since then have included:
❖ 1215: The Magna Carta—gave people new rights and made the king subject to
the law.
❖ 1628: The Petition of Right—set out the rights of the people.
❖ 1776: The United States Declaration of Independence—proclaimed the right
to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
❖ 1789: The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen—a document
of France, stating that all citizens are equal under the law.
❖ 1948: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights—the first document
listing the 30 rights to which everyone is entitled.

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 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

30 Articles
Article 1 Origin of Rights
Articles 2-21 Civil and political rights
Articles 22-27 Economic, social and cultural rights
Article 28 Communitarian/solidarity
Article 29-30 Duties to the Community 9