The struggle between totalitarian dominance and slavery versus human rights has been a long one in Western Culture. The first king of ancient Persia, King Cyrus, seems to have authored the first document proclaiming that people have inherent rights in around 539 B.C. Then, 1754 years later, in 1215, the concept made its way into the laws of England as set forth in the Magna Carta. The real change this made is that the King or Queen of the Realm was subject to the law. This is a concept with which some modern leaders still have trouble. In 1628 in the British Empire there isThe Petition of Right, which differentiates the rights of the Crown and the rights of the people.

Then comes the documents from the American Revolutionary period, most importantly The Declaration of Independence, proclaiming the rights of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. This is simply stated and far reaching. The Constitution of the United States of America builds a structure of government that is meant to flex and bend with the different, and sometimes opposed, desires and intentions of the people and the groups they form, but to carry us forward. There is as part of the US Constitution the Bill of Rights. These first ten amendments to the initial statement delineate ten very particular rights that are reserved to the people. These rights were added in1791 and apply to citizens,residents and visitors on US territory.

In 1789, France adopted the Declarations of Man and of the Citizen, establishing that all have equal rights under law. The Geneva Convention of 1864 took the statements of Human Rights into the international arena. Then, in 1948, we got the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which sets forth thirty basic human rights that every person on the planet inherently possess.

If everyone is educated in their rights, it empowers them and it protects you. It is important to also have governments structured to support these rights. "Support a government designed and run for all the people.", L. Ron Hubbard. www.thewaytohappiness.org @waytohappinesstampa