Comparative Study: Declaration of Independence and Rights of Man

This essay provides a comparative analysis of the Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of the Rights of Man, focusing on their perspectives on human rights. The essay begins by outlining the core principles of each document, including the emphasis on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in the Declaration of Independence, and the civil rights focus of the Rights of Man. It highlights the historical context of both documents, including the American and French Revolutions, and the influence of Enlightenment ideals. The essay identifies similarities such as the rejection of unfair taxation and the pursuit of freedoms of speech and religion, while also pointing out key differences. For example, the essay points out that America sought to establish a new government, while France aimed to reform its existing one. The essay concludes by synthesizing these comparisons, providing a comprehensive understanding of the documents' impact and enduring legacy on human rights.

Running Head: SOCIOLOGY
Sociology
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1SOCIOLOGY
Topic -Compare and contrast the Declaration of Independence with the Declaration
of the Rights of Man on the nature of human rights
The declaration of independence on the nature of human rights is a philosophy of human
rights. In the year 1776, it was proposed by Thomas Jefferson which asserted that “all men are
created equal”. Hence every living person is endowed with few inseparable rights such as Life,
Liberty and the pursuit of happiness (Becker, 2017). The declaration of independence declared
that Thirteen colonies are independent states who dedicated themselves to the slavery abolition.
On the other hand, the declaration of the Rights of Man is a declaration of the National
Constituent Assembly (France) in the year 1789. It is a human civil rights document. This
declaration of the Rights of Man, the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights and the declaration
of Independence encouraged a considerable part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
in the year 1948 (Goodwin, 2016).
There are some similarities between the two declarations as well as there are differences.
Both the declarations of Independence and the Rights of Man were created by the rebellious
groups which were not part of the government officially (Becker, 2017). These were the Sons of
Liberty in America and National Assembly (France). Both the declarations were influenced
highly by the idea of enlightenment (Shestack, 2017). The main matter of concern of both the
declaration was same such as unfair taxes, high taxes and taxation without the representation
(Jayne, 2015). The demands were also similar such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion,
fair trial and equal tax and others.
As far as the differences are concerned, France tried to change the government while
America desired to break away from it. It tried to establish a separate government for itself and
France wanted to rather redefine it (Shestack, 2017). America wanted its own new government to
be better than GBs a d France wanted their government to be run specifically than way it should
be run. The general statement of America was how America would be independent and French
specific statement said how the government should mold its activities and work properly.

2SOCIOLOGY
Reference
Becker, C. L. (2017). The declaration of independence. Jazzybee Verlag.
Goodwin, A. (2016). The friends of liberty: the English democratic movement in the age of the
French Revolution. Routledge.
Jayne, A. (2015). Jefferson's Declaration of independence: origins, philosophy, and theology.
University Press of Kentucky.
Shestack, J. J. (2017). The philosophic foundations of human rights. In Human Rights (pp. 3-36).
Routledge.