‘Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen’ — the Holy Scripture of the Enlightenment Era
By: Shashwat Jha
Tags: Enlightenment, Democracy, France, Liberty, History

‘Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen’ — the Holy Scripture of the Enlightenment Era Shashwat Jha Follow Sep 2 · 5 min read

The Age of Enlightenment was not just a period of great philosophical progress and debate, but also one that synthesized the different forms of popular government.

Arguably the most prevalent one today is constitutional democracy which was the final answer to the tyranny faced by the masses at the end of the Age of Enlightenment. One of the first official, governmental documents to outline the traits of a constitutional democracy was the Declaration of the Rights of Man, hence naturally, it encompasses a plethora of enlightenment ideals.

For the purpose of this analysis, the first article chosen is the sixth one in the declaration. The stated article deals with the formation and maintenance of laws, displaying several enlightenment ideals. The first and foremost is human autonomy.

The article states that “law is the expression of the general will”[1], showing that humans are rational beings and can think for themselves. Through the development of reason, human beings agree on certain notions because of their general will and these notions are called laws.

Stating that “every citizen has a right to participate personally, or through their representative, in its [law’s] foundation”[2] emphasises another connection between human autonomy and the article.

This statement, and the article in general, also promote two other Enlightenment ideals. The concept of every citizen being equal in the eyes of law advocates universalism, whereas the choice of selecting a representative for the formation of laws displays the support for popular government.

Furthermore, this article displays attributes of reason and progress. Since the human history is the story of progress towards reason and freedom, it is only reasonable that every citizen of a state may hold legislative, executive and judicial positions in its government “according to their abilities, and without distinction except that of their virtues and talents.”[3] This article is a wholesome example of enlightenment ideals because it features the qualities of law necessary for progressive governance.

Concepts of secularism, universalism and progress are displayed in the tenth article of the declaration. The ability to freely express one’s opinions, which is provided in this article, is a sign of progress towards more liberty in society.

Since worship is a private matter, by stating that “no one shall be disquieted on account for his opinions, including his religious views”[4], the article promotes the ideas of secularism. Moreover, universalism is portrayed by providing this right to every citizen and uniting them via these fundamental rights.

A society where citizens are provided with utmost freedom in their faith benefits from these provisions since this freedom eventually develops a stronger faith in the governing system. To have the stability of a civilization depend upon its constituents’ independent and equal rights is a proof of development towards a progressive society — one which is entirely free of oligarchical, suppressive practices.

The thirteenth article of the declaration emphasizes the importance of economy by stating that a common contribution is needed by every citizen for the efficient management of society’s administration and military forces. Taxation is a major point of debate in the political spectrum.

Different political ideologies support different levels and distribution of taxation; however, it cannot be denied that taxes are one of the primary sources of revenue for governments around the world. “According to the most recent estimates from the International Center for Tax and Development, total tax revenues account for more than 80% of total government revenue in about half of the countries in the world — and more than 50% in almost every country.”[5]

These figures demonstrate the importance and necessity of taxation for a functional government. Additionally, by stating that every contribution should be proportionate to the contributor’s means, the article elicits reasoning because an equal contribution from all classes would result in a disastrously uneven wealth distribution. Hence, it is evident that the thirteenth article of the declaration is not only an imperative aspect of a constitutional democracy but also one which highlights empathy and rationality towards the state’s citizens.

The Declaration of the Rights of Man was not only ground-breaking in terms of the fundamental rights that it illustrated, but also for setting the foundation for numerous constitutional democracies around the world. It was adopted as the preamble of the French constitution of 1791, and even became the model for the preamble of the constitution of the world’s largest democracy, India.[6]

The Declaration of the Rights of Man was overwhelmingly revolutionary because it stemmed out of and encompassed the raging enlightenment ideals that originated during the French Revolution. It was the official, documented response to the years of tyranny that the common citizens had faced under feudalism and monarchy. As the title of the document describes, it was a bold assertion of their essential rights.

These essential rights have survived the test of time in most of the modern countries and several democracies continue to exhibit the ideals that were popularized by the Declaration of the Rights of Man. The basic rights depicted in the document — “liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression”[7] — are the most fundamental rights in most of the modern democracies such as the UK, USA, Canada and even France, from where it originates.

The enlightenment ideal of progress is also the story of humanity. The revolutionary values associated with liberty that were presented at the end of the 18th Century have progressed through two centuries to become even stronger and more resilient.