What is the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen?
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen is the document that provided the basis of the French constitution, which states the laws of the nation. Drafted by revolutionary Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès (1748–1836), the declaration was adopted in 1789 by the National Assembly, a law-making body that was formed at the start of the French Revolution (1789–99). The revolution began as a rebellion against the inefficient regime of King Louis XVI (1754–1793) and soon developed into a movement to topple the monarchy and establish a more representative form of government. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was based on the motto of the French Revolution—”liberty, equality, and fraternity”—and was influenced by the U.S. Declaration of Independence (1776), the document in which American colonies declared independence from Great Britain….
