Declaration of the Rights of Man

1. All men are born equal. Any social distinctions will only be made through the person's virtues.

2. The goal of all political association is to carryout human's natural rights, rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance to tyranny.

3. All rules of the nation can only come from the nation itself. No one can exercise any authority that does not come from the nation.

4. The exercise of one’s natural rights is only limited to when it interferes with another’s natural rights. These limits are revealed through the laws.

5. Laws only have power to prohibit actions harmful to society. No one is forced to do anything that is not outlined in laws.

6. Every citizen is allowed to participate through some way in society, whether it is through a representative or personally. Every person is permissible to hold any public positions or jobs, depending only by their ability and talents.

7. No one will be arrested, accused, or imprisoned, except when it is done through what is defined in the law. Anybody soliciting, transmitting, murdering, or causing to be murdered will be punished.

8. Laws only punish if it is necessary. One will not be punished unless one does not follow as it is outlined in the laws.

9. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty.

10. One will not be judged based on one’s opinions, such as religious views, however, this is only valid if one’s expressions do not disturb public order, as it is provided in the laws.

11. One of man’s most important rights is the communication of ideas and opinions. Everyone is allowed to speak, write, and print with freedom, but this freedom is limited by what is defined in the laws.

12. Military forces are established to protect the rights of man, not to favor the rights of who intrusts them.

13. Payment is required to maintain public utilities and the administration. The amount each person is required to give will be proportional to their earnings.

14. All people have a say in their government, whether it is through a representative or personally.

15. Society maintains the right to ask every public agent an account of his administration.

16. A society where no one obeys laws and the separation of powers is undefined has no constitution.

17. Right of property is a sacred and unchallengeable right. Therefore, no one will be deprived of property unless public necessity demands it, and this can only be executed through legal processes. Property owners will be reimbursed after the loss of property.


When looking at this picture, I think of freedom and independence. The angels surrounding the document represent good and great change. The Declaration of the Rights of Man reminds me of America's Declaration of Independence. The two documents are similar because they both serve as the basis of society for two different groups of people.