# Canonical recap data for Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789)
# Source: https://recap.at/1789/rights-man-declaration
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: rights-man-declaration
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1789/rights-man-declaration"
title: Declaration of the Rights of Man
aliases:
- Déclaration des Droits de l'Homme et du Citoyen
- Declaration of Human and Civil Rights
- French Rights Declaration
subtitle: The revolutionary National Assembly codified universal human rights and individual liberty, establishing the ideological foundation of modern democracy.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1789-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1789
decade: 1780
country:
name: France
slug: france
summaryShort: 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 de
summaryLong: 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.
lede: 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.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/Declaration_of_the_Rights_of_Man_and_of_the_Citizen_in_1789.jpg/1280px-Declaration_of_the_Rights_of_Man_and_of_the_Citizen_in_1789.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen"
importance: 91
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Adoption Date
  value: August 26, 1789
- label: Adopting Body
  value: National Constituent Assembly of France
- label: Number of Articles
  value: "17"
- label: Key Author
  value: Marquis de Lafayette
- label: Philosophical Influence
  value: Jean-Jacques Rousseau, John Locke, Montesquieu
- label: Core Principle
  value: Natural, inalienable rights precede government
- label: Preceded By
  value: American Declaration of Independence (1776), Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776)
timeline:
- date: 1776-06-12
  title: Virginia Declaration of Rights
  description: George Mason drafts the first state-level rights declaration in America, influencing French revolutionary thought.
- date: 1776-07-04
  title: American Declaration of Independence
  description: Thomas Jefferson's declaration establishes precedent for rights-based political documents in colonial America.
- date: 1789-05-05
  title: Estates-General Convenes
  description: King Louis XVI opens the Estates-General at Versailles; Third Estate delegates begin articulating grievances.
- date: 1789-06-17
  title: Third Estate Declares Itself National Assembly
  description: The Third Estate breaks away and swears the Tennis Court Oath to draft a constitution.
- date: 1789-07-14
  title: Storming of the Bastille
  description: Parisians assault the royal fortress; the symbolic act accelerates revolutionary momentum and debate over rights.
- date: 1789-08-26
  title: Declaration Adopted
  description: The National Constituent Assembly formally adopts the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.
- date: 1791-09-03
  title: French Constitution of 1791 Enacted
  description: The Declaration is incorporated into France's first written constitution, establishing a constitutional monarchy.
- date: 1793-09-22
  title: Declaration Revised During Terror
  description: The radical National Convention revises the Declaration to emphasize collective rights and social welfare alongside individual liberty.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_the_Rights_of_Man_and_of_the_Citizen"
  title: Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: 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.
categories:
- revolution
taxonomy:
domain: political
eventTypes:
- constitutional_reform
- revolution
canonicalClasses:
- governance
- creation
- transformation
impactRadius: global
velocity: cascading
predictability: emergent
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: France's 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man established universal rights and popular sovereignty, reshaping modern governance.
wikidataQid: Q169759
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: Moniteur Universel
  publisherSlug: moniteur-universel
  headline: Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen Adopted by National Constituent Assembly
  publishedAt: 1789-08-27
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archival record
  excerpt: 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.
  significance: 92
  type: newspaper
  region: France
- publisher: The Morning Chronicle
  publisherSlug: morning-chronicle
  headline: French Assembly Proclaims Universal Rights - Revolutionary Declaration Alarms European Courts
  publishedAt: 1789-09-12
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archival record
  excerpt: 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.
  significance: 88
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Gazette de France
  publisherSlug: gazette-de-france
  headline: "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'"
  publishedAt: 1789-08-28
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archival record
  excerpt: "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."
  significance: 90
  type: newspaper
  region: France
- publisher: Wiener Zeitung
  publisherSlug: wiener-zeitung
  headline: Franzosische Nationalversammlung verkundet Erklarung der Menschenrechte
  publishedAt: 1789-09-18
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archival record
  excerpt: 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.
  significance: 72
  type: newspaper
  region: Austria
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260526034313/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_the_Rights_of_Man_and_of_the_Citizen"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-26
  label: Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_the_Rights_of_Man_and_of_the_Citizen"
