Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen

The National Constituent Assembly adopts the Déclaration des droits de l'homme et du citoyen, proclaiming principles of liberty, equality, popular sovereignty, and rule of law. Inspired by Enlightenment philosophy and the American Declaration of Independence, it becomes one of the most influential human rights documents in history. The Declaration underpins all subsequent French constitutions and heavily influenced the UN Declaration of Human Rights (1948).