Rights of Man Declared: France's Revolutionary Dawn
The National Constituent Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen on August 26, 1789, six weeks after the storming of the Bastille. Drafted primarily by the Marquis de Lafayette with input from Thomas Jefferson, who was serving as American ambassador in Paris, the document declared that "men are born and remain free and equal in rights." It established freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the presumption of innocence, and the principle that sovereignty resides in the nation rather than the king. The declaration became the preamble to the French Constitution of 1791 and directly influenced the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Women were excluded; Olympe de Gouges wrote a parallel declaration for women in 1791 and was guillotined.
August 26, 1789
237 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Palace of Versailles
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national assembly
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Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citize
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Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
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France
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French Revolution
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National Constituent Assembly
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National Assembly (France)
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Jacques Chirac
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Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
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Marrakesh
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