Citizens play a central and pivotal role in helping nations to achieve their development goals in political, social, educational, healthcare, and economic spheres. Concisely no republic can exist without there being mechanisms to protect and promote the rights of its citizens who actualize its objectives. However, for these citizens to be as productive and supportive as possible they must be assured that their rights and freedoms and protected. Citizens whose rights are protected have a strong sense of belonging and are likely to be more patriotic as compared to those whose rights are abused. An analysis of the US Constitution of 1787, France Declarations of Man and Citizen (1789), and the United Nation’s The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) demonstrates this proposition. These three documents have been used as guidelines on the most basic human rights that should be upheld to have a fair, habitable, and just society.
Analysis of Three Documents to Establish the Common Human Rights
The US Constitution of 1787, France Declarations of Man and Citizen (1789), and the United Nation’s The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) are documents that outline human rights. While the three documents were written under different situations, they have several commonalities when it comes to protecting and promoting human rights. The first common feature of the documents is the promotion of the right to express oneself or freedom of speech. “The US Constitution of 1787” First Amendment establishes that an individual can use art, music, the internet, clothing, as well as symbolic speech to express opinions. “The France Declarations of Man and Citizen of 1789” article 11 asserts this freedom by establishing that “The free communication of ideas and of opinions is one of the most precious rights of man”. In this case, any citizen has the freedom of airing his or her opinions through publishing, in writing or orally as long as it does not lead to the abuse of the provision. On the other hand, the “United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948” enforces this right in article 19. This article establishes that everyone has a right to and expression personal as well as the right to receive and impart ideas and information through the medium of choosing without interference.
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The other human right that is common in all the three documents is the fact that all citizens are to equal under the law no matter their differentiating characteristics. Article 7 of the “United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948” states that all people are equal before the law and for this reason, no one is to be discriminated against as the law ought to protect everyone. This human right is insisted upon in the US Constitution’s Fourteenth Amendment, which insists that no state is to make any law that will interfere with the equal protection of all citizens within its jurisdiction (Know your Rights: A Guide to the United States Constitution, n.d). This right is further asserted in the France Declarations of Man and Citizen of 1789” article 1, which states that all men are born equally, and for this reason they ought to remain free and enjoy equal rights. The state can only place distinctions in the observance of this law only if doing so is for the promotion of the common good.
Rights of the accused are a central feature of these three documents as it has given utmost importance to avoid the infringement of such persons. The US Constitution is clear on the rights of the accused as outlined in the Sixth Amendment, which establishes the right to the fair public hearing (“Know your Rights: A Guide to the United States Constitution”, n.d). This provision protects the accused from being subjected to unconstitutional procedures, which may reduce the chances of getting justice. “The United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948” article 11 asserts that no one should be held guilty for any penal offense that does not constitute an offense per the national and international laws. Finally, according to the “France Declarations of Man and Citizen of 1789 “establish that citizens should neither be accused, arrested nor detained for a reason not provided for by the Law. The varied provisions on the rights of the accused act as framework by which the criminal justice systems across the world ought to handle suspects and promote justice.
Making a Case for the Three Rights As Provided for in the Three Documents
The right to speech and expression, equal protection and the rights of the accused can be considered of utmost importance to all citizens. The reason why the right to speech and expression matters is the fact that it helps citizens to voice out concerns about a myriad of issues including governance. Of importance is the fact that it helps nations to achieve positive social change through persuasion as opposed to resorting to violence (“Know your Rights: A Guide to the United States Constitution, n.d). On the other hand, the right to equal protection under the law is an important human right that should be upheld by all governments. All citizens should be treated equally no matter the covert and overt differences that they may present. In fact, this right could be considered as the ultimate human right as it assures all citizens that they have equal opportunities and will be subjected to similar treatment. Finally, the rights of the accused form the bulwark of significant human rights as it protects the accused from being subjected to injustice. For instance, the documents guarantee the accused the right to have fair public hearing and right to attorneys with the aim of promoting justice. Additionally, the accused is entitled to a due process to ensure that all the facts of their case are laid out to arrive at a fair conclusion. While all these three rights are so crucial for the promotion of human rights, citizens must be responsible and adhere to constitutional provisions.
References
Declaration of Human and Civic Rights of 26 August 1789. (n.d). Retrieved on 17 October 2019, from https://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/sites/default/files/as/root/bank_mm/anglais/cst2.pdf
Know your Rights: A Guide to the United States Constitution. (n.d). Retrieved on 17 October 2019, from https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/usao-ne/legacy/2012/04/27/Civil%20Rights%20Book-NE-2.pdf
United Nations. (n.d). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Retrieved from http://content.bellevue.edu/cas/la/400-410-420/id/kss/universal-declaration-of-human-rights.pdfhttps://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/learners/citizenship-rights-and-responsibilities
