Historical Perspective & Philosophical Analysis on Courage

At a Glance:

Historical Origins of Human Rights

I. What are human rights?

Human rights are the rights a person has simply because he or she is a human being. They include the right to life and liberty, freedom of thought and expression, and equality before the law. They are held by all persons equally, universally, and indefinitely.

Human rights are universal and inalienable - they are absolute, not transferable to another person and incapable of repudiation. Human rights are indivisible - denial of one right invariably impedes enjoyment of other rights. Human rights are interdependent and interrelated - the fulfillment of one right often depends, in whole or in part, upon the fulfillment of others.

When claiming these human rights, everyone accepts the responsibility not to infringe on the rights of others, and to support those whose rights are violated or denied.


II. How are they protected?

Human rights laws have been defined by international conventions, by treaties, and by organization, particularly the United Nations. In addition, most (if not all) countries have its own set of laws developed out of customs that establish the rights of individuals in relation to the state. These rights are often expressed in legal documents such as the English Bill of Rights of 1688, the United States Declaration of Independence of 1776, the U.S. Bill of Rights added to the U.S. Constitution in 1789, and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen of 1791.

In addition to worldwide human rights organizations, countries have also established regional conventions. Some examples include the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the American Convention on Human Rights, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.

There also exist many other non-governmental organizations such as the Amnesty International, the Center for Constitutional Rights, Human Rights Watch, and the International Commission of Jurists to monitor the states' compliance with human rights standards. These groups publicize cases of human rights violations, and coordinate worldwide public opinion against offending states. Many times, they have successfully induced the offended governments to modify their policies to meet international human rights standards.


Reference:
http://www.answers.com/topic/human-rights
http://www.unfpa.org/rights/principles.htm
http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/whatsdem/whatdm3.htm

 

Human Rights Timeline

1620 - Puritan separatists from the Church of England arrive at Plymouth Harbor. While on board the Mayflower, they draw up America's first constitution, the "Mayflower Compact", by which they agree to "combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick… for the General good of the Colony…"
1634 - Maryland is founded as a Catholic colony with religious tolerance.
1735 - A New York court recognizes freedom of the press and due process of law by acquitting John Peter Zenger, editor of Weekly Journal.
1783 - The Massachusetts Supreme Court outlaws slavery in that state, citing from the state's bill of rights that "all men are born free and equal."
1787 - The Constitution of the United States is adopted and declared in effect by nine states. The Continental Congress adopts the Northwest Ordinance, which guarantees freedom of religion and support for schools, and prohibits slavery, in America's "Northwest Territories."
1791 - The Bill of Rights goes into effect.
1807 - The U.S. Congress outlaws the importation of African slaves into the United States.
1863 - President Abraham Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation.
1865 - The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, abolishing slavery in the United States, goes into effect.
1868 - The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution is ratified. It reaffirms the principles of due process and equal protection of the law for persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the laws thereof.
1869 - Elizabeth Stanton and Susan Anthony establish the National Woman Suffrage Association.
1870 - The Fifteenth Amendment goes into effect. It states that "the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude."
1896 - The U.S. Supreme Court approves racial segregation under a doctrine known as "separate but equal" in Plessy v. Ferguson. This allows some states to legislate segregation and makes racial discrimination acceptable and protected by law.
1920 - The Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified. It grants women the right to vote.
1924 - The Snyder Act is approved by Congress admitting all Native Americans born in the United States to full U.S. citizenship.
1948 - The United States, along with all other members of the United Nations General Assembly, approves the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
1952 - The Immigration and Naturalization Act takes effect to remove the last racial and ethnic barriers to naturalization of aliens living in the United States.
1954 - Racial segregation in public schools is unanimously ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in a decision known as Brown v. Board of Education.
1955 - Rosa Parks, an African-American woman, refuses to give up her seat to a white man on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. This action is often regarded to as the beginning of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement.
1957 - The U.S. Congress approves the first civil rights bill for blacks to protect their voting rights in response to the Civil Rights Movement.
1962 - The National Farm Workers (later known as the United Farm Workers of America) is organized by Cesar Chavez to protect migrant American farm workers.
1964 - The Omnibus Civil Rights Bill is passed to ban discrimination in voting, jobs, public accommodation, and other activities.
1965 - The U.S. passes the Immigration Act of 1965, eliminating the ethnic quotas established under the 1952 Act.
1969 - The Stonewall Riots in New York City begin a movement for gay rights. The Gay Liberation Front (GLF) is founded.
1971 - The U.S. federal government stops automatic dismissal of gay federal employees.
1972 - Title IX is passed, guaranteeing that "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."
1973 - Roe V. Wade establishes the rights to abortion for women in the United States.
1977 - A human rights bureau is created within the U.S. Department of State.
1980 - The U.S. Supreme Court orders the federal government to pay some $120 million dollars to eight tribes of Sioux Indians in reparation for Native American land seized illegally by the government in 1877. The United States signs the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
1984 - President Ronald Reagan signs a law prohibiting public high schools from barring students who wish to assemble for religious or political activities outside of school hours.
1988 - The United States ratifies the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
1990 - The Americans with Disabilities Act is signed into law.
1994 - The United States ratifies the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The United States signs the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
1996 - President Clinton passes the "Defense of Marriage Act," denying the right of marriage to same-sex couples by defining marriage "only as a legal union between one man and one woman."
2000 - Vermont becomes the first state in the country to legally recognize civil unions between gay or lesbian couples.
2004 - Same-sex marriages become legal in Massachusetts.
2005 - Civil unions become legal in Connecticut. State of California expands domestic partnership statues to include most marriage rights available under state law. California domestic partnership is available to opposite-sex couples age 62 and older who meet certain Social Security qualification, and to all same-sex couples age 18 and older without further qualification.
2006 - Illinois outlaws sexual orientation discrimination. Washington State adds sexual orientation to existing anti-discrimination laws.


References:
http://www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/humanrights/timeline/tl19602004.html
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0761909.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_LGBT_history#2000s
http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/hrintro/timeline.htm