Introduction
The documents describing citizens’ rights have much in common and reflect the humanist tendency in Western countries. Therefore, the documents ratified by the United Nations, the United States, and France emphasize the same issues in creating an equal and just society. The analysis of the primary sources shows that promoting and protecting the citizens’ rights is the basis of the republic.
Comparison of Rights in International Documents
The Amendments to the Constitution (1787), France’s Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789), and the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) aim at articulating the rights of the individual and their relationships with the state. The Amendments to the Constitution, ratified in 1787, created three branches of power that allowed officials to guarantee that the state would pursue the principles of justice (National Archives, 1787). France’s Declarations of Man and Citizen also emphasized equality in interactions with the state, an essential element of justice. The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights was ratified after the end of World War II, which was more than a century after the first two documents. This text emphasizes the universal nature of human rights, which apply to everyone without exception.
Conclusion
Therefore, the discussed primary texts are meant to set boundaries for authorities and shield people from persecution at the hands of the state. It is possible to make parallels between the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen (1789), the Amendments to the Constitution (1787), and the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). Although these documents were ratified at different times, they uphold the familiar principle of equality and justice for all individuals. It is possible to assume that the documents approved in the 19th century failed to fulfill their promises of equality for all citizens and that civil rights were reserved for the privileged group (National Archives, 1789). The document articulated by the United Nations restates these principles more than a century after the American Constitution and the French Declaration.
References
National Archives. (1787). The amendments to the Constitution.
National Archives. (1789). The bill of rights.