Human Rights for All
Human rights are the set of laws that protect the rights of human beings regardless of culture, religion, race, sex or color. It is the product of two movements of enlightenment involving Europe and the United States. Human rights is the belief that all human beings should be entitled to legal recognition of certain civil, political, economical, social and cultural rights. Human rights is a fairly new branch of law and is still considered living and breathing, constantly evolving, as several concepts of what should be regarded as a human right to be protected by this set of laws, is still hotly debated in the courts and amongst the citizens.
As the culture evolves and subject matter once considered taboo is now rising to the surface of social evolution, we encounter new debates of what rights, we as human beings, are entitled to. Whereas, at one point in time, human rights involved the women’s suffrage movement, we now battle with the notion of gay marriage and whether homosexuals should be afforded the same rights of heterosexuals pertaining to marriage and thus, the economical benefits of marriage. Many of these areas of human rights are still open to interpretation. However, before we could possibly know where the path of human rights are going, we must understand how human rights began and evolved.
One of the important doctrines that paved the way for human rights today, is the Bill of Rights which are the first ten amendments of the United States Constitution. This was the first document in the United States that protected the human rights of the citizens and defined a nation of democracy. Some of the human rights protected in this document include the right to bear arms, the right to a trial by jury and prohibiting the government from depriving any citizen of their property, life or liberty without due process.
Another important document to influence human rights as we know it today, is the French document, Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. This document came about during the Age of Enlightenment. The basis for this document come from philosophical and political principles that were popular during that time; mainly, individualism and separation of powers. This document protects the human right of all human beings universally. The human rights of man are valid at all times, everywhere, for everyone without exception.
Although it would be impossible to mention every document and movement to inspire the birth of human rights, the above two documents are the main catalyst for the movement of human rights. As mentioned earlier, it is a branch of law that is living and breathing, and as long as the culture continues to evolve as it will, undoubtedly, this branch of law will continue to grow and mature. It continues to be a living testament to the evolution of human beings.
