"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."
These stirring words are from the Declaration of Independence, one of the founding documents of the United States and a powerful example of the importance of human rights in Western civilization.
But the freedoms we enjoy today—
- to vote regardless of gender
- to live free of racial segregation
- to not be enslaved
- to be free of persecution on religious or ethnic grounds
—did not come about overnight. Rather, they were the result of long and fierce struggles that took place in courtrooms and meeting rooms, in churches and on battlefields, in classrooms and on streets, at home and abroad.
Understanding the evolution of human rights—its sacrifices, hopes, visions, leaders, and movements—is important to recognizing how valuable and universal they truly are. The story of the rights of man also reflects the triumphant power of the human spirit to change history, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.
Follow this inspirational and profound story in The Rights of Man: Great Thinkers and Great Movements. These 24 lectures tell you the fascinating story of the rights of man, from the visions of history's greatest philosophers, religious leaders, and political thinkers to the awe-inspiring movements that shattered centuries of inequality.
Award-winning Professor Paul Gordon Lauren, one of the world's leading authorities on the history of human rights, guides you in a story that will strengthen your appreciation of your rights—and of the long struggles to obtain them.
Course Lecture Titles
- 1. The Rights of Man
- 2. The Heavy Burden of the Past
- 3. Religious Belief—Duties and Rights
- 4. Early Philosophical Contributions
- 5. Natural Rights and the Enlightenment
- 6. Rights and Revolutions—America and France
- 7. Rights of Man at the 18th Century's End
- 8. Abolishing the International Slave Trade
- 9. Emancipating Slaves and Serfs
- 10. Promoting the Rights of Women
- 11. Advancing the Rights of Workers
- 12. Protecting the Rights of the Wounded
- 13. Rights of Man as the 20th Century Begins
- 14. Peacemaking and Rights—Paris, 1919
- 15. New Departures for the Rights of Man
- 16. The Gathering Storm and Attack on Rights
- 17. War, Genocide, and a Crusade for Rights
- 18. Peacemaking, Rights, and the United Nations
- 19. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- 20. The Right to Self-Determination
- 21. The Right to Racial Equality
- 22. Setting Standards and the Rule of Law
- 23. Recent Achievements and Challenges
- 24. The Rights of Man—Past, Present, and Future
- 12 hours and 3 mins | ISBN: n/a | MP3 | 355 MB
