From Ancient Persia to a Global Declaration: A Brief History of Human Rights

Since 1948, the United Nations has celebrated Human Rights Day every December 10, the publication anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)—a milestone document that established “fundamental human rights to be universally protected.”

However, the concept of “human rights”—and what many scholars believe to be the first charter of its kind—originated thousands of years prior in 539 B.C., when King Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered Babylonia. He issued a decree espousing religious freedom and tolerance, established the freedom of formerly enslaved and exiled peoples in these conquered lands, and allowed for captives of the former Babylonian king to return to their homelands. Among the exiled were Jews, who were permitted by Cyrus to return to Jerusalem to rebuild their temple. Cyrus’ decree was inscribed on a clay cylinder, the remnants of which were discovered in 1879 in the ruins of Babylon (located in modern-day Iraq, 85 miles south of Baghdad).

In addition to the historical narratives of Cyrus’ reign captured on the cylinder, contemporary accounts document the uniquely tolerant manner in which the monarch ruled the expansive Persian Empire—embracing multicultural diversity of language, thought, and religion. 

Much like Cyrus did for the inhabitants of the Persian Empire, the UN proclaimed in the UDHR that all human beings are born with inalienable, fundamental rights that include life, liberty, safety, freedom of speech and belief, and freedom from fear. Paving the way for the adoption of more than 70 human rights treaties on the global and regional levels, the UDHR reiterates many of the sentiments of the UN’s founding document: its 1945 Charter. 

The preamble of UN’s Charter states, in part: 

WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED

to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom…

Embodying this spirit—and the legacy of Cyrus the Great—is a poem from 13th-century Persian poet Sa’adi Shirazi entitled Bani Adam (“Sons of Adam”). Inscribed on a rug presented to the UN in 2005 by the Islamic Republic of Iran, Bani Adam reads:
 

All human beings are members of one frame, 
Since all, at first, from the same essence came. 
When time afflicts a limb with pain, 
The other limbs cannot at rest remain. 
If thou feel not for other's misery, 
A human being is no name for thee.

Though many biographical details are unconfirmed—and much of what we know of Shirazi’s life is contextually derived from his poems—historians have determined that he likely traveled extensively throughout the Middle East following the Mongol Empire’s brutal sacking of Baghdad in 1258. It was through his travels and lived experiences that he came to understand the common humanity that connects us all. During an era of violent conquests of land, peoples, and cultures, Bani Adam expressed Shirazi’s open-minded and humanist perspective: that humans are members of a whole and share a common fate regardless of their individual identities.

The 76th anniversary of the UDHR serves as a reminder, not just of the intrinsic dignity that all humankind deserves, but that we are each responsible for preserving these values. Sociologist Helen Fein coined the term “universe of obligation” to describe the circle of individuals and groups within a society “toward whom obligations are owed, to whom rules apply, and whose injuries call for amends.” ¹ This concept posits that on an individual, community, national, and global level, we share responsibilities towards one another. 

This connectedness is at the core of Facing History’s efforts to engage the mind, heart, and conscience of adolescents who are in the midst of determining who they are, how they want to interact with the world, and the relationships between their own actions and those of others. Fostering ethical reflection, critical thinking, and historical understanding in the classroom nurtures caring and curious students who seek to play a positive role in creating a more just and empathetic global society—in which all of humankind is worthy of and treated with dignity. 

As you explore the contemporary relevance of the UDHR and our individual and collective role in protecting human rights, we invite you to discover Facing History & Ourselves’ resources that explore the historical context of this significant milestone: 

• Our lesson on the Universe of Obligation and Human Rights supports student understanding of the extent to which we feel an obligation to help others, and how the way we view others influences our sense of responsibility towards them. 
• Our unit on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides supportive resources to examine the context in which the UDHR was drafted, the role Eleanor Roosevelt played in the creation of the UDHR, the debates and dilemmas that Roosevelt and others on the drafting committee faced, and the legacies and lasting impact of the declaration.

• 1Helen Fein, Accounting for Genocide (New York: Free Press, 1979), 4.