Grievances of the Third Estate: Declaration of the
Rights of Man and Citizens
by Barry Wright
Essay: Grievances of the Third Estate: Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens
Pages: 10
Rating: 3 stars
Download Links:
• Grievances of the Third Estate: Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens.pdf
• Grievances of the Third Estate: Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens.doc
Against what abuses of the ancient regime did revolutionary figures protest, and how did the Enlightenment
influence the reforms they advocated?
Grievances of the Third Estate
Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens
One of the most significant shortcomings of France and its government prior to the Enlightenment period and the
changes and the French Revolution and the changes both events brought was a distinct lack of equality of men
before the law. Some laws favored the rich, some only affected the poor, and the growing middle class was caught
in between the two. Revolutionary leaders protested this injustice, and drew much inspiration from Enlightenment
thinkers and their ideas in doing so.
The writers of the key Revolution document "Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens" stated unequivocally
in Article V that "The law ought to prohibit only actions harmful to society" 1 , and in Article VI that "It should be
the same to all, whether it protects or punishes" 2
Religious freedom was also conspicuously lacking prior to the Enlightenment and the Revolution, as well as
freedom of speech overall. The failure of the old regime to provide for citizens' ability to express their opinions,
religious and secular, was yet another problem that Revolution leaders desired to address. Desiring to deal with
the problem, it was written in "The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizens" that "No man ought to be molested
on account of his opinions, not even on account of his religious opinions, provided his avowal of them does not
religious and secular, was yet another problem that Revolution leaders desired to address. Desiring to deal with
the problem, it was written in "The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizens" that "No man ought to be molested
on account of his opinions, not even on account of his religious opinions, provided his avowal of them does not
disturb the public order established by the law." This provision paved the way for many more documents
guaranteeing the right of all citizens to free speech, including the significant not...