Important Human Rights Documents
Magna Carta--King John of England was forced by a group of barons to sign this statement in 1215 guaranteeing that the king must respect certain rights and legal procedures and recognize that he was not above the law.

English Bill of Rights--Written in 1689, this list of rights was adopted by William and Mary before taking the English throne during the Glorious Revolution. The list of rights includes the right of a citizen to petition the monarch, to bear arms for defense, and freedom from cruel or unusual punishment.

Second Treatise--Written by John Locke in 1690, this long essay states that sovereignty comes from citizens. In addition, citizens have the right to dissolve their government if it does work in their best interest.  The government exists to serve the people. These ideas became central to the philosophy of the leaders of the American Revolution in the late 18th century.

Declaration of Independence--Adopted by the Second Continental Congress in July 1776, this statement penned by Thomas Jefferson carefully sets out the reasons for American independence, the abuses of power committed by King George III, and then declares the American colonies to be free.

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen--Approved by the French National Assembly in 1789 during the French Revolution, this radical statement denied the divine right of kings to rule and guaranteed all citizens the right to liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.

American Bill of Rights--Added to the U.S. Constitution in 1791 as a result of concerns expressed by the Antifederalists, the Bill of Rights has provided the basis of citizens' personal and legal rights.

Geneva Convention--Requires all signatory nations to agree to respect the rights of prisoners of war. Followed the foundation of the International Red Cross in 1863.

Geneva Protocol on Biological and Toxin Weapons--Adopted in 1925, this statement recognizes the world's condemnation of the use of "asphyxiating, poisonous, or other gases..." in war.

United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights--adopted in 1948, this list of rights has become a significant touchstone for human rights movements.

Convention on Genocide--formally approved by the UN in 1951, this was not enforced until 1998 when a mayor in Rwanda was found guilty of nine counts of genocide for his actions. In 2007 Serbia was the first nation formally accused of genocide under its provisions.

Declaration of the Rights of a Child--this United Nations declaration, first approved in 1959, provides ten principles of children's rights, including compulsory education.

Convention Against Torture--adopted in 1987, this United Nations document recognizes the "inherent dignity of the human person" and specifically defines torture.

Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam--issued at the Nineteenth Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers in 1990, this statement has been criticized for its low standards of human rights. It prohibits forcing one "to change his religion to another religion or to atheism", but it does not give a person the right to change his or her religion. It guarantees equal dignity for women, but not equality in other matters.