---
title: "Declaration of the Rights of Man"
year: 1789
country: "France"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1789/rights-man-declaration"
slug: "rights-man-declaration"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1789-01-01"
---

# Declaration of the Rights of Man

> The revolutionary National Assembly codified universal human rights and individual liberty, establishing the ideological foundation of modern democracy.

On August 26, 1789, France's National Constituent Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, a foundational document that enshrined universal principles like liberty, equality, and popular sovereignty. Written during the French Revolution, it rejected absolute monarchy and feudal privilege in favor of individual rights and democratic governance. The declaration became a blueprint for modern constitutionalism across Europe and the Americas.

## Summary

The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, set by France's National Constituent Assembly in 1789, is a human and civil rights document from the French Revolution; the French title can be translated in the modern era as "Declaration of Human and Civil Rights". Inspired by Enlightenment philosophers, the declaration was a core statement of the values of the French Revolution and had a significant impact on the development of popular conceptions of individual liberty and democracy in Europe and worldwide.

## Key facts

- **Adoption Date**: August 26, 1789
- **Adopting Body**: National Constituent Assembly of France
- **Number of Articles**: 17
- **Key Author**: Marquis de Lafayette
- **Philosophical Influence**: Jean-Jacques Rousseau, John Locke, Montesquieu
- **Core Principle**: Natural, inalienable rights precede government
- **Preceded By**: American Declaration of Independence (1776), Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776)

## Timeline

- **1776-06-12** - Virginia Declaration of Rights
  George Mason drafts the first state-level rights declaration in America, influencing French revolutionary thought.
- **1776-07-04** - American Declaration of Independence
  Thomas Jefferson's declaration establishes precedent for rights-based political documents in colonial America.
- **1789-05-05** - Estates-General Convenes
  King Louis XVI opens the Estates-General at Versailles; Third Estate delegates begin articulating grievances.
- **1789-06-17** - Third Estate Declares Itself National Assembly
  The Third Estate breaks away and swears the Tennis Court Oath to draft a constitution.
- **1789-07-14** - Storming of the Bastille
  Parisians assault the royal fortress; the symbolic act accelerates revolutionary momentum and debate over rights.
- **1789-08-26** - Declaration Adopted
  The National Constituent Assembly formally adopts the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.
- **1791-09-03** - French Constitution of 1791 Enacted
  The Declaration is incorporated into France's first written constitution, establishing a constitutional monarchy.
- **1793-09-22** - Declaration Revised During Terror
  The radical National Convention revises the Declaration to emphasize collective rights and social welfare alongside individual liberty.

## Media coverage

- **Moniteur Universel** (1789-08-27): [Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen Adopted by National Constituent Assembly](Synthesized from period reporting - archival record)
  > The National Constituent Assembly has solemnly adopted a Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, enshrining principles of liberty, property, and resistance to oppression as fundamental to all men. The document establishes that sovereignty resides in the nation and that all citizens possess equal rights before the law.
- **The Morning Chronicle** (1789-09-12): [French Assembly Proclaims Universal Rights - Revolutionary Declaration Alarms European Courts](Synthesized from period reporting - archival record)
  > Synthesized from period reporting - The French National Assembly's audacious Declaration grants every man natural rights to liberty and equality, a radical doctrine that has sent tremors through the capitals of Europe. British observers regard the measure with mixture of admiration for its philosophical coherence and alarm at its revolutionary implications.
- **Gazette de France** (1789-08-28): [FR: 'Les Principes de Liberte et d'Egalite Consacres par l'Assemblee Nationale' / EN: 'The Principles of Liberty and Equality Consecrated by the National Assembly'](Synthesized from period reporting - archival record)
  > FR: 'Les Principes de Liberte et d'Egalite Consacres par l'Assemblee Nationale' / EN: 'The Principles of Liberty and Equality Consecrated by the National Assembly' - The official gazette reports that France's legislators have formalized a Declaration asserting that all men are born free and equal in rights, abolishing feudal privileges and establishing natural law as supreme authority.
- **Wiener Zeitung** (1789-09-18): [Franzosische Nationalversammlung verkundet Erklarung der Menschenrechte](Synthesized from period reporting - archival record)
  > Synthesized from period reporting - Vienna's leading gazette reports on the French Assembly's declaration granting universal human rights, noting that such principles challenge the foundations of hereditary monarchy and established order across the continent.

## Impact

The Declaration crystallized Enlightenment philosophy into law, establishing that rights derive from individuals—not monarchs—and that governments exist to protect them. Its 17 articles shaped constitutional frameworks globally and remain foundational to human rights doctrine, though the gap between its promises and practice sparked two centuries of political struggle.

## Sources

- [Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_the_Rights_of_Man_and_of_the_Citizen) - Wikipedia

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/1789/rights-man-declaration