Active Citizen Dbq

Improved Essays
Show More
The Enlightenment of the eighteenth century created a wide spread ideal that men were entitle to equal rights and protection under the law as a birth right; which led to The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen of 1789. Before the Enlightenment, John Locke 's Social Contract Theory of 1690 laid a foundation for the men of the eighteenth century to expand on. Another major contributor to the authors of the Declaration was the American Revolution. Because so many Frenchmen participated in the American Revolution and the colonies fight for independence from British control, the ideal of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness was a catalyst for the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen of 1789. The National Constituent …show more content…
What qualified a person to be a citizen of France, and if a person was a citizen then did that person qualify as an active or passive citizen. Abbe Sieyes, a French Roman Catholic abbé, clergyman and political writer, stated "All the inhabitants of a country should enjoy the rights of a passive citizen" (81), but he argued you could not be and active citizen without proving yourself worthy by attaining property. Jacques Thouret, revolutionary, lawyer, president of the National Constituent Assembly, proposed a pathway to active citizenship, but in also included who could be excluded. This becomes a recurring theme of the arguments. There were more people excluded from active citizenship than people which were included. Only one sixth of the population in 1789 qualified for active citizenship, or were able to hold political office; this translates to only 4.4 million out of the 26 million people of France. This leaves 21.6 million deprived of political rights in France. Here we have an agreement among the National Assembly "Men are born and remain free and equal in rights” , but you cannot have political freedom unless you are a white man of property. This shows the lack of intention to be all inclusive in The Declaration of the Rights of Man and …show more content…
The Declaration was not intended to be a constitutional document. It was meant to be the preamble to a constitution. Jeffersonian influence is apparent is all seventeen points. The French National Assembly took on more difficult and enlightened debate regarding citizenship and made several forward thinking concessions to citizenship. By establishing a pathway for the poor and including the Jewish population, France was ahead of their time. With regard to the issue of women attaining any rights, France was on par with most of the world. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen has continued to be an influence in French politics and has been sighted to strike down tax legislation in France designed to differentiate between social classes. The Declaration has been a very positive document for France as a whole despite it tenuous

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Dbq
    • 1541 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Dbq

    When the United States joined the allies during World War II, Franklin D Roosevelt had to work with both Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin to defeat Germany and Japan. From the attack of Pearl Harbor until Japan’s surrender, the United States assisted the two other world powers for stopping fascist influence on Europe and Asia. However, as the war began to close, and the plans for postwar Europe and Asia began to unfold, the United States and the Soviet Union turned against each other, democracy against communism, in a Cold War of influence over Europe, conflicts between nations, and the race for atomic bombs. During the war, the United States and Soviet Union were allies for the primary goal of defeating Germany, making decisions and battle…

    • 1541 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Decent Essays

    What Is Thomas Jefferson's Response To The Declaration Of Independence
    • 85 Words
    • 1 Pages

    What Is Thomas Jefferson's Response To The Declaration Of Independence

    In his historical document, The Declaration of Independence (1776), Thomas Jefferson declared that all men were created equally and that there were certain unalienable rights that governments should never violate. Jefferson supported his claim by writing the Declaration of Independence which was adopted by the Second Continental Congress. His purpose was to explain to foreign nations why the colonies have chosen to separate themselves from Great Britain. Unlike the other founding documents, the Declaration of Independence is not legally binding, but it is tremendously powerful.…

    • 85 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    America's Rights Dbq
    • 422 Words
    • 2 Pages

    America's Rights Dbq

    France, on the other hand only wanted to redefine their government. Secondly, America’s declaration only stated that they were going to build their own separate government. France’s declaration actually states what specific changes they wish to make. Lastly, America’s declaration focused more on freedom and independence, whereas France’s declaration leaned more towards equality and fairness. 3.In what ways were the ideas of Olympe de Gouges’ Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen ahead of their time?…

    • 422 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Declaration Of Independence DBQ
    • 968 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Declaration Of Independence DBQ

    By early summer of 1776 the revolutionary war had been going on for about a year at that point. The founding fathers got together to write a document that contained a list of grievances and states how their rights had continuously been violated by the King of Britain. The document was titled “The Declaration of Independence,” and primarily written by Thomas Jefferson. All four and the most significant ideals will be portrayed throughout this essay. The four ideals were “Equality, Right to life, LIberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, Consent of Governed, and the right to Alter or Abolish Government.”…

    • 968 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    How Did The Social Contract Influence The Declaration Of Independence
    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Did The Social Contract Influence The Declaration Of Independence

    Thomas Jefferson included Unalienable Rights in the Declaration of Independence to ensure certain rights to every human being. In John Locke’s Social Contract, he wrote, “Men have rights by their nature… We retain the right to life and…

    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    How Did The English Bill Of Rights Influence Colonial America
    • 396 Words
    • 2 Pages

    How Did The English Bill Of Rights Influence Colonial America

    5) The English magna Carta was created in 1215 to place limits on the power of the monarch. The law making body of England, Parliament, was depended on the King and Queen to pay for wars as well as the Royal Government. Similar to the deeds of the magna Carta colonial assemblies controlled their colonies funds and had some control over colonial governors. Another model for Americans was the English Bill of Rights taking place during 1689.…

    • 396 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    French Revolution Dbq Analysis
    • 839 Words
    • 4 Pages

    French Revolution Dbq Analysis

    In de Lafayette's document “Preamble of the Declaration of Rights of Men “ 1789, he proclaims the the protection for all men’s rights (Doc 2). De Lafayette's document, which was later opted by the National Assembly in the formation of the constitution, is considered bias as he is only considering men as part of the governmental body. Maximilien Robespierre in his speech done in February of 1794, also proclaims the importance of moral changes for the people of France. In his speech he emphasizes true democracy as virtue, and immortality and vices as being counter revolutionary (Doc 5). Robespierre as being one of the members of the Committee of Public Safety and the Leader of the Reign of Terror, he believes that violence is essential in order protect the nation and annihilate all the enemies in order to achieve a stable democracy and virtue for the people…

    • 839 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    John Locke's Second Treatise Of Civil Government
    • 781 Words
    • 4 Pages

    John Locke's Second Treatise Of Civil Government

    When drafting the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson paralleled many of these ideas placed by Locke. Although the Declaration doesn’t mention the right to property, Jefferson declared it was “self-evident that all men are created equal…. with certain unalienable Rights…. Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”. Locke’s philosophical ideas—natural rights and consent of the governed— provided the foundation of Jefferson’s Declaration, and these beliefs would prove to be crucial in establishing a government for the new…

    • 781 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Similarities Between Common Sense And The Declaration Of Independence
    • 1303 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Similarities Between Common Sense And The Declaration Of Independence

    Chapter 5- The American Revolution, 1763-1783 1- At the time of the Revolution many colonies were unified and instead of the people feeling that they were colonist, they believed that they were Americans. The main factor that unified the colonists was how Parliament tried to deal with the colonies in a uniformed manner, rather then separately like it has in the past. This uniformed treatment inadvertently united America and its people.…

    • 1303 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Women's Rights Dbq
    • 1235 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Women's Rights Dbq

    During the French Revolution, the people who overthrew the French government crafted a document that was entitled “The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen.” Shortly after this document was written, Olympe de Gouges wrote a document entitled “The Declaration of the Rights of women.” She wrote this because she thought that the revolution wasn't revolutionary until women received rights of their own. Both of these declarations were written with a similar purpose and that is to give all people equal and fair rights as citizens. One of the main goals of the Declaration of the Rights of Man were to eliminate social inequalities and to emphasize that people are born free and should all have equal rights.…

    • 1235 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Flying Privilege In Thomas Jefferson's Declaration Of Independence
    • 993 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Flying Privilege In Thomas Jefferson's Declaration Of Independence

    The Declaration of Independence proclaims that all men are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” and that the purpose of a government is to ensure these rights (Jefferson 236). Its author, Thomas Jefferson, would alter the course of political history with that phrase, but it has still caused much debate today. The meaning of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” is somewhat ambiguous and has been adapted with different meanings throughout American history. A profound influence on Jefferson’s writings was the work of John Locke, a British philosopher, particularly known for his Second Treatise.…

    • 993 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Abigail Adams Remember The Ladies Analysis
    • 1456 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Abigail Adams Remember The Ladies Analysis

    France limitation on citizenship excluded females, it was only a liberty for men. This limited citizenship was seen in the Deceleration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen. The term “citizen” was used but it still excluded women. Women went unmentioned in the document, it never clearly stated “women”, instead it continually used “citizen”. A revolutionary woman.…

    • 1456 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Explain How To Follow The Declaration Of The Rights Of Man
    • 273 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Explain How To Follow The Declaration Of The Rights Of Man

    How to follow the “Declaration of the Rights of Man” The National Assembly of France in 1789, created rules for all men to follow according to the Supreme Being some of the following rules are a part of the “Declaration of the Rights of Man”. Men are born and remain free and equal in rights The rights of man are liberty, property, security, and resistance to brutality.…

    • 273 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Framers Of The Constitution Essay
    • 1333 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Framers Of The Constitution Essay

    The framers of the Constitution were visionaries who sought to establish a limited representative government which not only restricted the powers of an existing government, but also safeguarded the rights of the minority through restricting majority rule. A republic, they believed, would be the only form of government in which the liberty of the people could be preserved. Greatly influenced by the 17th century British philosopher John Locke, who advocated for the protection of natural rights of man by entering into a social contract, separation of governmental powers, and individuals’ right to consent to being governed, the founding fathers were able to incorporate such teachings into the Constitution of the United States. The American founders…

    • 1333 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Declaration Of The Rights Of Man And Woman Analysis
    • 754 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Declaration Of The Rights Of Man And Woman Analysis

    These issues would have been especially important to her because they had a direct impact on her life. The "Social Contract Between Man and Woman " she proposed would have protected her after her husband 's death by providing her with some inheritance, and the employment and tax equalities she proposed would have made it easier for her to support herself after the death of her husband. These two documents were written during the French Revolution; the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was approved by the National Assembly in August of 1789, and the Declaration of the Rights of Women was written and published as a direct response in 1791. France was in the midst of a period of revolution and social change, and De Gouges was adamant that these changes apply to women as well as to men.…

    • 754 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More

Related Topics

Ready To Get Started?
Discover
Company
Follow
©2024 Cram.com
Privacy Policy |  About Ads |  Site Map |  Advertise  | 
  • Cookie Settings