Declaration of the Rights of Man

Even though the events of the French revolution were quite different from those in the American revolution, their government documents have a familiar ring to them. The "Declaration of the Rights of Man" is suspiciously like the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence, down to the human rights they proclaim. Articles such as "Men are born and remain free and equal..." sound a great deal like "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal...". Although I would not agree with the principles behind the French Revolution myself, most of the 17 rights listed in their declaration are very basic and necessary. The concepts of "innocent till proved guilty", and "freedom of speech" are listed as well, intermingled with concepts drawn from the philosophy of Hobbes, Rousseau, and Locke. Although not perfect, the "Declaration of the Rights of Man" was a good start for rebuilding society in peace after the tumult of the Revolution (although that peace was to be short lived).