A brief two years after the founding of the United States of America, as a Democratic Republic and on the Fourteenth of July, 1789, the Bastille was stormed and the French Revolution began.
Unfortunately, this descended into an infamous “Reign of Terror”, which was stopped by Napoleon Bonaparte who then proceded to implement the goals of the Revolution – “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”. He was largely successful in this mission, until personal ambition overcame his idealism.
Nevertheless, he managed to plant the ideals of the French Revolution so firmly in people’s minds that “Liberty, Fraternity, Equality” are now recognised as universal ideals for all men and women, as are “The Declaration of Human Rights”, also first promulgated during the French Revolution.
We wish all France a Happy Fourteenth of July and may the ideals of
“Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” reach all peoples, everywhere !
The Declaration of Human Rights (1789)
English
http://www.elysee.fr/ang/instit/text1_.htm
French (Original)
http://www.justice.gouv.fr/textfond/ddhc.htm
Spanish
http://www.justice.gouv.fr/espagnol/eddhc.htm
For more on this and other symbols of the French Republic, please visit: http://www.elysee.fr/ang/instit/symb3.htm
For information on the life and writings of Thomas Paine who participated in both the French Revolution and the American War of Independence and whose thoughts still inspire many today, please visit The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/p/paine.htm
To read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, please visit:
http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html
Unfortunately, this descended into an infamous “Reign of Terror”, which was stopped by Napoleon Bonaparte who then proceded to implement the goals of the Revolution – “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”. He was largely successful in this mission, until personal ambition overcame his idealism.
Nevertheless, he managed to plant the ideals of the French Revolution so firmly in people’s minds that “Liberty, Fraternity, Equality” are now recognised as universal ideals for all men and women, as are “The Declaration of Human Rights”, also first promulgated during the French Revolution.
We wish all France a Happy Fourteenth of July and may the ideals of
“Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” reach all peoples, everywhere !
The Declaration of Human Rights (1789)
English
http://www.elysee.fr/ang/instit/text1_.htm
French (Original)
http://www.justice.gouv.fr/textfond/ddhc.htm
Spanish
http://www.justice.gouv.fr/espagnol/eddhc.htm
For more on this and other symbols of the French Republic, please visit: http://www.elysee.fr/ang/instit/symb3.htm
For information on the life and writings of Thomas Paine who participated in both the French Revolution and the American War of Independence and whose thoughts still inspire many today, please visit The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/p/paine.htm
To read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, please visit:
http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html