The Progression of Human Rights Throughout History

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The strides that have been taken regarding human rights have made it impossible to forget the many memorable landmarks throughout history. Events dealing with civil liberties are especially important in the United States. The Revolutionary War and the passage of the nineteenth amendment are two such occurrences. The history of both the United States and human rights has not come without a fight. Americans have adapted to changes in living styles which allowed the country to battle through shifting times in order to survive.

One of the first instances of the evolution of rights is made apparent in the expressions of Plato in the story Crito. Plato was accustomed to politics in the Athenian world; however, he chose to excel in philosophy. Plato believed that knowledge demonstrated truth and goodness in all people. In Crito, Socrates uses his knowledge as he attempts to explain to Crito that he must serve his prison sentence. Socrates believed that if he disapproved of the law in which he broke, he had ample time to do something about it, but he chose to live and abide by the rules and therefore must suffer the consequences to carry out true justice.

During the time of Socrates, the people and the government went hand-in-hand; they were in agreement. If a person chose to reside in a city, it meant that that individual decided to follow and carry out all laws that had previously been enforced by the government. The city of Athens provided education, protection, and the mere existence of life to Socrates. In return, he was under the idea that he was required to serve his community. Since Socrates had accepted the Athenian culture into his life, he believed that he should be punished for committing wrongful acts against the city’...

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...ww.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html.

Locke, John. “The Second Treatise of Civil Government.” Translated by Jawaid Bazyar

Online. Internet. Jan. 1999. Available. http://www.constitution.org/jl/2ndtreat.htm.

Plato. The Trials of Socrates. “Crito.” Translated by Reeve, C. D. C.. 2002 edition: p62-78.

“The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies.” Indiana University School of

Law in Bloomington. Online. Internet. April 2002. Available. http://www.law.indiana. edu/uslawdocs/declaration.html.

“The Virginia Declaration of Rights.” From Revolution to Reconstruction. Online. Internet.

March 2003. Available. http://www.usconstitution.net/vdeclar.html.

“Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” Department of Public Information. Online.

Internet. Dec. 1998. Available. http://www.un.org/rights/50/decla.htm.

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