Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

The Birth of the French Republic

By: National Assembly of France

About the Author: The National Assembly of France formed on June 17, 1789 when the Estates
General decided to change its name as revolutionary sentiments spread. The Assembly is
responsible for stating France's revolutionary principles in the Declaration of Man and Citizen as
well as writing the first French constitution in 1791.

INTRODUCTION
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen is the founding document of the French
republic. A product of the 1789 French Revolution, it reflected a radically new view of human
rights.

In June 1789, King Louis XVI responded to widespread anger in France by proposing a charter
of rights to the Estates General. Although he granted freedom of the press along with some
measure of equality to the citizens, he preserved many of the feudal rights of his nobles. The king
offered far too little, far too late. Within days, he was forced to recognize the authority of the
National Assembly. For the majority of representatives in the Assembly, the Revolution meant a
guarantee of citizens's rights, freedoms, and equality before the law. On August 4, 1789, the
Assembly decreed the abolition of the feudal regime by freeing the few remaining serfs and
eliminating all special privileges given to the nobility in matters of taxation. It also mandated
equality of opportunity in access to official posts. Enlightenment principles were beginning to
become law.

On August 26, 1789, the Assembly further emphasized its support of the Enlightenment ideals by
passing the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. The French were inspired to
issue a document by a draft of a bill of rights that Thomas Jefferson offered to the Assembly.
Jefferson, the principle author of the Declaration of Independence, served as U.S. ambassador to
France in 1789. The French Declaration closely resembles the American one. Both granted
freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and power to the people rather than a sovereign. The
Declaration of Rights of Man and of the Citizen reflects French thought by further mandating
equality of taxation and equality before the law.

PRIMARY SOURCE
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Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

The Birth of the French Republic

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Date: August 26, 1789

Source: National Assembly of France

About the Author: The National Assembly of France formed on June 17, 1789 when the Estates
General decided to change its name as revolutionary sentiments spread. The Assembly is
responsible for stating France's revolutionary principles in the Declaration of Man and Citizen as
well as writing the first French constitution in 1791.
INTRODUCTION
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen is the founding document of the French
republic. A product of the 1789 French Revolution, it reflected a radically new view of human
rights.

In June 1789, King Louis XVI responded to widespread anger in France by proposing a charter
of rights to the Estates General. Although he granted freedom of the press along with some
measure of equality to the citizens, he preserved many of the feudal rights of his nobles. The king
offered far too little, far too late. Within days, he was forced to recognize the authority of the
National Assembly. For the majority of representatives in the Assembly, the Revolution meant a
guarantee of citizens's rights, freedoms, and equality before the law. On August 4, 1789, the
Assembly decreed the abolition of the feudal regime by freeing the few remaining serfs and
eliminating all special privileges given to the nobility in matters of taxation. It also mandated
equality of opportunity in access to official posts. Enlightenment principles were beginning to
become law.

On August 26, 1789, the Assembly further emphasized its support of the Enlightenment ideals by
passing the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. The French were inspired to
issue a document by a draft of a bill of rights that Thomas Jefferson offered to the Assembly.
Jefferson, the principle author of the Declaration of Independence, served as U.S. ambassador to
France in 1789. The French Declaration closely resembles the American one. Both granted
freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and power to the people rather than a sovereign. The
Declaration of Rights of Man and of the Citizen reflects French thought by further mandating
equality of taxation and equality before the law.

PRIMARY SOURCE
The representatives of the French people, organized as a National Assembly, believing that the
ignorance, neglect, or contempt of the rights of man are the sole cause of public calamities and of
the corruption of governments, have determined to set forth in a solemn declaration the natural,
unalienable, and sacred rights of man, in order that this declaration, being constantly before all
the members of the Social body, shall remind them continually of their rights and duties; in order
that the acts of the legislative power, as well as those of the executive power, may be compared
at any moment with the objects and purposes of all political institutions and may thus be more
respected, and, lastly, in order that the grievances of the citizens, based hereafter upon simple
and incontestable principles, shall tend to the maintenance of the constitution and redound to the
happiness of all. Therefore the National Assembly recognizes and proclaims, in the presence and
under the auspices of the Supreme Being, the following rights of man and of the citizen:

SIGNIFICANCE
The Declaration of Rights of Man and of the Citizen does much more than simply state the
obligations of French citizens. It struck at the divine right of kings, severing the nation from a
past based on religion. It is a document of the Age of Reason. The Declaration ended the
thousand-year-old mystique of monarchy by demoting the king to the mere executive of the
people's will. He was no longer God's choice to rule and a representative of the divine. Instead,
the king was a leader who had failed his people. Accordingly, the people's revolt was justified
since resistance to oppression is a natural right of men.

The most enduring legacy of the Declaration lies in its assertion that citizens are equal before the
law. In 1789, this assertion only applied to men. Revolutionary women such as Olympe de
Gouges, author of the 1791 Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen,
unsuccessfully sought to extend rights to women. Only in the twentieth century would French
men and women gain equal rights and protections. Nevertheless, despite its shortcomings with
respect to gender, the Declaration made it possible for all French citizens to eventually receive
equal status. It dismantled the hereditary distinctions and privileges that had formed the center of
monarchical society. The nature of sovereignty, the class structure of society, and the face of
justice had been transformed forever in France.

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