The Historical Roots and Evolution of Human Rights Concepts

This essay provides a comprehensive historical analysis of human rights, beginning with their pre-enlightenment religious roots and tracing their evolution through key historical events. It explores the influence of natural law, the impact of revolutions such as the Glorious Revolution, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution, and the development of key documents like the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen. The essay also examines the rise of anti-slavery movements, the struggles for women's rights, the impact of colonialism, and the effects of warfare on child welfare. Furthermore, it discusses the role of socialism and critiques of industrial capitalism, along with international efforts during the inter-war era and the formation of the League of Nations. Overall, the essay highlights the complex and multifaceted history of human rights, emphasizing the ongoing struggles for equality, justice, and recognition of fundamental human freedoms.

Human Rights in history

Introduction
The pre-enlighten religious roots dates back to the pre historic times.
Although there exists relationship but there are no direct link between
religious and secular codes. There are a lot of modern assertions about
the existence of soul and spirit concept that exist in the modern human
rights but there are no such religions which can be said to define the
source of modern human rights concept. Natural law as it is defined as the
adaption of the laws laid down by the Mother Nature and that deals with
the things of the nature like plants, animals and earth.
Human Rights in history
The assertion of Samuel Moyn has given rise to human rights after the
Second World War. This prefigured and also inspired for the sake of the
right of the human which first rose in the churches as well as thoughts on
religion in the years which was before the the outbreak of the war. These
circles have taken over the discussion of public of the new principles. In
the meantime, the other part became more tolerant of the expression of
the public about religious piety. These rose rights of the man to the public
exposure in the space opened up by these double open up of the early
cold war. Moyn argued about human dignity which has become main point
to the Christian political unrest as early as 1937. He demonstrated how
the words of human rights was separated from the secular heritage of the
French Revolution and implemented by post war democracies which were
done by the Christian parties were once again done for imposing the
moral restrictions on the people and support conservative family structure
with preservation of social hierarchies. The statement traces the
contemporary European struggle for assimilating the immigrant to the
legacy of Christian human rights. Moyn has analysed how to choose to
make rights meant for the human to be of our highest way by neglecting
the demands of broader social along with economic justice. In both the
war and collapse of the empires newly made states try to take the welfare
beyond the real European and American homelands and has gone far in
challenging inequality on a massas right scale.
As stated by the Greek philosopher Aristotle, philosophy where philo
means love and Sophia means wisdom, deals with articulating law to
cultivate the virtue and happiness and which also states that natural
justice is superior to manmade justice1. As stated by Saint Thomas
Aquinas the natural law deals with moral obligation and duties and gets
1 Gruskin, S., Mills, E.J. and Tarantola, D., 2017. History, principles, and practice of health
and human rights. The Lancet, 370(9585), pp.449-455.

developed from a rational model which has been created by God. John
Locke gives the definition of transition of Natural Law to Natural Rights by
stating that Man who gets born in this world of nature along with all other
men and human beings enjoy a sort of freedom and rights to extreme
freedom and privileges that has been offered by the Mother Nature. This
man fights to protect his rights, property, liberty and estates against all
other men and even punishes the other who seems to breach the law of
nature. The Glorious Revolution and Bill Rights (1689) Article 10 states
that no excessive bill is required, nor excessive fines or cruel punishments
need to be imposed. As per the US Revolution 1760 there were a serious
of tax acts that were levied on the American constituency by the British
Parliament in relation to the military concern and imperial commercia2l.
The year 1770 saw the boycott of British goods, massacre of British of
property and a lot of political marches and thoughts regarding liberty and
radical ideas were established. The first battle broke out in the year 1775
and 4th July 1776 saw the Declaration of Independence articulate rights
and freedoms of Americans. As per the U.S Bill Rights 1791 there should
be freedom of speech, right to the assembly and petition3. The law also
stares that there should be freedom from the unlawful search and seizure
and freedom from cruel and harsh punishments and excessive bails and
the freedom to keep the arms in hand. As per the French Revolution 1789,
the 3RD Estate declared itself assemble of the nation and started its
protests against the King’s taxes and demanded to have a written
constitution. The mobs even attached the Bastille and nobles and the
rights against and MAN and Citizens were passed and in the year 1794,
Europe witnessed wars which lasted for decades. As per the Declaration
of Rights of Man and Citizen, it states that men are born free and should
have equal rights. The social distinction which existed should be
established upon general good. The aim of the political association is to
preserve natural rights of man and these rights include liberty, property,
security and resistance against oppression4. Liberty means to enjoy all the
2 Ishay, M., 2008. The history of human rights: From ancient times to the globalization era.
Univ of California Press.
3 Moyn, S., 2014. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 in the history of
cosmopolitanism. Critical Inquiry, 40(4), pp.365-384.
4 Ishay, M., 2008. The history of human rights: From ancient times to the globalization era.
Univ of California Press.

rights that have been bestowed to the man without injuring each other. As
per the act in 1790 the parents of Free blacks can vote, 1791 The political
rights of the Free Blacks were rescinded, 1792 The political rights of the
free blacks were reinstated, 1794 Slavery was abolished in all the French
colonies and 1802 , the slavery was again reintroduced in French empire.5
As per the Haitian Constitution of 1801 (Haiti was one of wealthiest colony
of the French Revolution) all men are born free and there should be no
slavery in France and thus all men have the right to die freely in France6.
All men has the right to work at any forms of employment despite their
skin colour and the law is same for all and it will protect and punishment
all equally.
Anti- Slavery versus Racial Inequality
As per the preamble, although slavery is against the principle of natural
justice of the republican government and Christian religion and is
destructive for the prosperity of the country, the government would do all
that is required to bring about an extinction of the slavery7. As per the six
principles which states that slavery cannot co-exist with natural law and
fundamental rights are that
 Merits of law should take over the burden
 Law should be as such that it protect the innocent
 Deprivation of liberty should only happen if there is serious law
violation
 Law should be the strongest in safeguarding the weakest
 Self-preservation people should not be held punishable under the
law
 Law should protect the right of human beings
Socialism and Critique of Industrial Capitalism
5 Neier, A., 2013. The international human rights movement: a history (Vol. 14). 6th ed.
Princeton University Press. Germany
6 Gruskin, S., Mills, E.J. and Tarantola, D., 2007. History, principles, and practice of health
and human rights. The Lancet, 370(9585), pp.449-455.
7 Healy, L.M., 2008. Exploring the history of social work as a human rights
profession. International social work, 51(6), pp.735-748.

As per the socialism idea and ideology industrialisation leads to mass
exploitation and poverty. The distribution of wealth is unequal where the
rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. Thus planning and
regulation is required to have equal distribution of wealth and to preserve
the political right which does not stand a place in the ground economic
inequality. As per Karl Marx theory on the Wage Slavery, the worker who
is the actual labour should enjoy the whole fruit of his labour, but that
does not happen in actual. In actual he gets only a small share of his
labour which is just enough for his survival8.
Rights of the Women as an Individual Sex
As stated in the history, man has always ruled over women. He has never
let the woman enjoy her rights and has always subdued her. Woman has
been under absolute tyranny rule by men. The women had no right to cast
her voice in the electoral process as well as she has no voice to state her
opinion in relation to the matter of law. The men has degraded the women
and has made her literally dead in front of the law after marriage. He had
even snatched her right towards her own things and even towards the
money that she earns. By depriving her in the formation of law he has
suppressed her from all the sides. But sooner women started to raise their
voices and Amelia Bloomer (1818-94) started publicising pant and other
tunic outfits against the long and skirts and thus depicting the freedom of
movement. There were other revolutionary like Truth (1797-1883) who
spoke for the freedom of women rights. As per Frederick Douglass (1818-
1895) the men should give equal rights to women and the women should
not be questioned of the rights that are given to her9. There should be
equal rights enjoyed by both men and women around the world. As per
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the time has come when women should rise
against all the odds that are happening in her life and she would be held
with equal place against men in the eyes of God. The antislavery and
women rights movement were the articulation of the human rights in the
United States.
Colonisation and the Challenges of Empathy
8 Svensson, M., 2002. Debating human rights in China: A conceptual and political history.
Rowman & Littlefield.
9 Gruskin, S., Mills, E.J. and Tarantola, D., 2007. History, principles, and practice of health
and human rights. The Lancet, 370(9585), pp.449-455.

Western Colonization was an act which defined the state sanctioned
violence. The liberal regimes tried to force the native people who were
against the colonisation. The colonised people were seen to as subjects
and not citizens. These people have duties but were not let to enjoy their
rights. The Republic ideas of the civilization which was being influenced by
the French policy makers in West Africa during 1895 and 1914 and it was
done in two ways. Firstly, by allowing the people to have rights towards all
basic freedom and to take measure to free the Africans from slavery,
feudalism, ignorance and diseases 10. Secondly, liberal ideas made the
French to limit their pressure that the colonial administration was
supposed to use on the people living in the colonies.
Child Welfare and Warfare
It deals with the aftermath effect on the children due to the war. The First
World War had its bad effect on children. After the war in Europe, the
children were affected by hunger, malnutrition, neglect and even with life
taking diseases. There were several American relief organisations like
British Save the Children fund and American Nation Red Cross which were
getting aid from the government played a huge role in taking care of
children affected by war. The ARC carried out activities in Hungary by
feeding the hungry children and giving them clothing and medical aids.
Also an Act against the Cruelty and Better Protection of Children stated
that any person who has the right of a children if ill-treats, neglects or let
the child to suffer or abandon the child is likely pay a fine of dollar 1000 or
imprisonment up to 2 years11.
International Agitation in the Inter War Era
The League of the nation was formed to promote international co-
operation and achieve international peace and security. There should be
co-ordeal relation between the nations and they should not resort to war
against each other. The League of Nation also state rights for the
refugees which ensures that the refugees should be entitled towards all
the civil rights, they would be free to access the 12court, security, stability
as regards to establishment of their working facilities and exercise of the
10 Gruskin, S., Mills, E.J. and Tarantola, D., 2017. History, principles, and practice of health
and human rights. The Lancet, 370(9585), pp.449-455.
11 Cmiel, K., 2014. The recent history of human rights. The American Historical
Review, 109(1), pp.117-135.

profession, industry and commerce. As per the Rights of War and Peace, if
a person places himself under the control of a power then that person is
entitled towards restitution.
Limits, Failures and Expansion of Human Rights in the post-World
War 2 Era
As the civilization progresses the Western world fully recognises the
ethical responsibilities, it may be that such influences will become ever
diminishing forces. As per Abebi (1860-1917), Africans does not abide by
the rights and liberty as defined by the customs and usages of European
life.
LGBTQI Community against criminalization of homosexuality
The laws against the LGBTQI community were lifted and thus there were
no law which discriminates between homosexual, lesbian, gay or
transgender couples. As per the International Convent on Civil and
Political Rights, no person should be held guilty of any criminal offence
which did not actually constitute criminal offence under the national and
international law during the time when it was committed.
Conclusion
Thus in this world everybody should have the equal right irrespective of
his or her skin colour, caste or creed. The women should enjoy equal
rights like men and the LGBTQI community members should also have the
equal rights in the society. The children should be treated with care and
love and there should be a world where they would love to grow.
12 Neier, A., 2013. The international human rights movement: a history (Vol. 14). 6th ed.
Princeton University Press. Germany

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Historical Review, 109(1), pp.117-135.
Cmiel, K., 2014. The recent history of human rights. The American
Historical Review, 109(1), pp.117-135.
Gruskin, S., Mills, E.J. and Tarantola, D., 2017. History, principles, and
practice of health and human rights. The Lancet, 370(9585), pp.449-455.
Healy, L.M., 2008. Exploring the history of social work as a human rights
profession. International social work, 51(6), pp.735-748.
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globalization era. Univ of California Press.
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globalization era. Univ of California Press.
Moyn, S., 2014. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 in the
history of cosmopolitanism. Critical Inquiry, 40(4), pp.365-384.
Neier, A., 2013. The international human rights movement: a history (Vol.
14). 6th ed. Princeton University Press. Germany
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