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The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen of 1789
As an important tool to the French revolution, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and
Citizen of 1789 has played an important role in shaping human rights not only in France but in
other parts of the world as well. First written by Marquis de Lafayette with the valid help of
Thomas Jefferson, it was reviewed and approved on August 26, 1879 by the National Assembly
of France. It consists of 17 articles pertaining to the idealistic rights that men and citizens should
possess (Encyclopaedia Britannica). This idea of “rights” raised questions on the type of
treatment people deserved. How has the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen prompt the
people of Saint Domingue to declare their rights to form their own government? following both
the French Revolution and the Declaration of rights, Saint Domingue, later known as Haiti,
began to follow along the French steps and created its own constitutions and later became the
first black independent nation.
The Declaration of the Right of Man and Citizen was due to the ‘Estates–General” which
was introduced by King Louis XVI as an attempt to raise taxes. The Estates-General consisted of
three estates; the Clergy, the Nobles, which made up 2% of the population, and everyone else
which was most of the French population. The Third Estate then formed the National Assembly
with the goal of representing the people of France and being able to become more active within
the government (Encyclopaedia Britannica). All this led to popular revolts which provoked the
infamous French Revolution. The Declaration was written because the National Assembly
believed that corruption within the government and their tragedies were due to the fact that they
were neglecting and ignoring the “Rights of Man” (The Avalon Project). They wanted to resolve
the popular conflicts within their society. It served as a preamble to the Constitution of 1793
(Encyclopaedia Britannica).
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The Declaration was separated into 17 brief articles; each focusing on a different aspect
of their definition of “rights of man”. The first right emphasized that all men are born free and
equal, the second right is having the right to liberty, property, security, and resistance to
oppression. The Declaration also emphasizes that “no body and no individual may exercise
authority which may not emanate expressly from the nation.” (The Declaration of the Rights of
Man and Citizen 1789) Which means that the people of France have the right to vote who they
want as authority. It also mentions natural rights as long as it is not harmful and can only be
determined by the law (The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen 1789). Additionally,
the fifth article is to imply that the law may only prohibit actions that are detrimental to society.
The sixth article also focuses on the law by stating that any citizen can partake in the government
without judgement and equal treatment for all. The seventh implies that unless determined by
