Table of Contents
Introduction
Human rights, as we know it today, took a while to become what they are today. At first, only a few lucky people had rights. However, through the hard work, struggle and sacrifice of brave individuals, many more people have basic human rights.
What Human Rights Are
By definition, human rights are freedoms that are entitled to all human beings, regardless of statuses such as sex, race, religion, etc.,without discrimination. Another definition for human rights is “those basic standards without which people cannot live in dignity.” (AEE, 2015) In addition to claiming human rights, it is each individual’s responsibility not to violate the rights of others and to support those whose rights are violated. According toUnited Nations, 30 human rights exist, which include the rights to live freely, to speak your mind, and to be treated as an equal.
The Story of Human Rights
Where It All Began – Natural Law
At first, there were no human rights at all. People lived as they wish and treated everyone as they wished. It was only as early as 539 B.C. that Cyrus the Great decided to change this. After conquering Babylon, he announced that all slaves were free to go‒this was completely revolutionary. He also decided to give people freedom to choose their own religion, no matter what crowd they were a part of. They documented his words on a clay tablet known as The Cyrus Cylinder. This was the birth of human rights. Cyrus the Great’s ideas spread rapidly to Greece in 479 B.C., India in 272 B.C., and eventually to Rome in 27 B.C..
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The Romans noticed that people naturally followed certain laws, even if they weren’t told to. This they called “natural law.” However, it kept being trampled on by those in power. Only a thousand years later in England of 1215 AD, a king finally agreed that no one can overrule the rights of people, not even a king. People’s rights were finally recognized in the 1628 British Petition of Rights and the 1689 British Bill of Rights.
Unfortunately, people were not completely safe from those in power. It still took a long line of English rebels declaring their independence before the king finally understood that all men are made equal. Although those in power understood this, they did not like the idea. People fled from England hoping to find a better place to stay and that is how America was founded.
One Step Closer-Natural RIghts
The French followed this example and carried out their own revolution for their right. Their list was even longer and they insisted that these rights were not made-up, but that they were natural. The Roman concept of “natural law” now became “natural rights.” In France, in 1800 A.D., a general named Napoleon Bonaparte decided to overthrow the new French democracy and call himself “Emperor of the World!” He nearly succeeded, but the countries of Europe joined forces and defeated him in 1814.
Human rights became a trending topic again. European countries drew up international agreements, broadly granting many rights across the continent. Howbeit, these rights were active only in Europe. The rest of the world still did not catch on. Instead, they got invaded, conquered and consumed by Europe’s massive empires.
One Final Step–Human Rights
In 1915 a young lawyer named Mahatma Gandhi took it upon himself to stand against all the violence, insisting that all people of Earth have rights. Eventually, even Europeans started to agree in 1931. However, it was not easy. Two world wars erupted. Hitler wiped out half the Jewish population of Earth in horrid Nazi death camps‒90 million people died. Human rights had never been so terrifyingly close to extinction as this time. The world was now more desperate for change.
In 1945, the countries of Earth joined together and formed the United Nations. Their basic purpose was “to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person.” Under the supervision of Eleanor Roosevelt, they agreed on a set of rights that applied to absolutely everyone, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The French concept of ‘natural rights” had now become “human rights.”
Human Rights Hall of Fame
Throughout history, many men and women have risked their lives for the cause of human rights. Apart from those mentioned above, this includes William Wilberforce, Abraham Lincoln, Helen Keller, and Martin Luther King
William Wilberforce (1759-1833)
In the peak of slave trading, this amateur political official experienced a spiritual rebirth and set out to effect the abolition of slavery–a feat that many thought was next to impossible. However, together with Thomas Clarkson was able to have 12 resolutions against the slave trade introduced by 1789. Despite vast opposition throughout his entire career, The Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 was passed three days after his death.
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
He was the President of the United States and issued the acclaimed Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 that declared “that all persons held as slaves are, and henceforward shall be free.” The 13th Amendment to the US Constitution was passed in 1865 and totally outlawed slavery.
Hellen Keller (1880-1968)
Ms Keller was blind and deaf since the age of 2. Despite her disabilities, Ms Keller graduated, cum laude, from Radcliffe College in 1904. She went on to become one of the 20th century’s leading humanitarians and campaigned strenuously for those with the same disabilities as hers.
Martin Luther King (1929-1968
He was a civil-rights activist and minister who enormously championed racial equality in the United States. He played a role in ending the segregation of African-Americans in the US, the creation of the Civil RIghts Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Conclusion
One question remains. Has it all been worth it? Did all the wars, segregation, marches and slavery abolition acts amount to anything? Although significantly more people have more rights, millions of people still die of starvation. Millions more still do not have the right to a safe environment.
The story is not over yet. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places close to home. It is up to each and every individual to do as the Bible urges and “speak up…for the rights of all who are destitute” (Proverbs 31:9) and “defend the oppressed” (Isaiah 1:17)
