Active for over 22 years, it works through workshops, community events, and training to foster a culture of respect for rights. Background of Human Rights
Originally, people had rights only because of their membership in a group, such as a family. Then, in 539 B.C., 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. 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 - giving people new rights and making the king subject to the law.
1628: The petition of Right - setting out the rights of the people.
1776: The United States Declaration of Independence - proclaiming the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
1787: The Constitution of the United States of America - forming the fundamental law of the US federal system of government and defining the basic rights of citizens.
1789: The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen - in France, establishing that all citizens are equal in the eyes of the law.
1791: The US Bill of Rights - limiting the powers of the federal government and protecting the rights of all citizens, residents and visitors on United States territory.
1864: The First Geneva Convention - setting standards of international law.
1948: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights - the first charter proclaiming the thirty rights to which every human being is entitled. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
During World War II, tens of millions of people died. In addition to those who lost their lives in the fighting, the N***s in Germany killed millions in cold blood. When the war ended in 1945, the victorious nations met to decide how to prevent such acts from happening again. They formed the United nations to advance human rights and peace. The United Nations created The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the first truly universal human rights document. Eleanor Roosevelt, the woman who led the committee that created this document, stated that the Declaration grants for all Mankind. One was to create international laws to protect human rights, a process that took almost twenty years. International laws are laws agreed upon by many countries, and so they apply not just in one country but in all the countries that agree to them. The countries that belonged to the United Nations also brought these rights to the rest of the world. As a result, the basic laws of many nations today include the rights contained in the Declaration.
