Declaration of the Rights of Man

Hey everyone! Today we discussed the old regime of France and the various estates within the French hierarchy system. We discussed the inequality and the poverty within French society, and we also debated whether King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette should be blamed for their own execution.

We left class with the idea that Louis XVI calls the Estates-General to propose a tax on the nobles. The inequality within this system allowed the 3rd Estate to be outvoted by the 1st and 2nd Estates. The 3rd Estate began to pressure for reform, and when the King refused, they proclaimed themselves the National Assembly and began to write their own constitutiion.

The document I handed to you for homework is called the Declaration of the Rights of Man, which is a statesment of ideals and values that the National Assembly believes should be important within French society. Please read the document and answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper:

1.) The slogan of the French Revolution is going to be "Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity." How are these ideals expressed within this declaration?

2.) What classic ideas of the Enlightenment do you find expressed in this declaration?

3.) Compare elements expressed in this declaration with the elements in the U.S. Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.

4.) How do the ideals expressed in this declaration contrast with the realities of the old social hierarchy of France?

Have a great weekend!

~Mr. Mazur