The History of Human Rights & Civil Rights
The history of both human rights and civil rights often overlap in a lot of ways.
Human Rights
- Refer to the fundamental ways every human on the planet deserves to be treated.
- Do not vary from country to country, or from government to government.
- Include access to clean water, protection from torture, and the right to fair trial.
- Documented in 1948, when the UN adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Civil Rights
- Refer to a class of rights one receives by virtue of citizenship in a particular nation or state.
- May vary from country to country, or from government to government.
- Include protection from discrimination, free speech, and due process.
- Took on a more political sense during the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and 1970s.
