CONSECRATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS: ORIGIN, MEXICO - HISTORY - 2025

The consecration of human rights has been a recent achievement of humanity. This achievement refers to the establishment of a universal framework for the protection of human dignity.

These rights include a series of freedoms and claims of individuals that are related to their essential assets and their intimate areas. The achievement of the discourses and legal frameworks in relation to this meant a long road that goes back to antiquity.

The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required.

It was finally in the wake of the French Revolution that current concepts around the equality of human beings and fundamental rights were established. In general terms, the achievements in terms of human rights refer to their preeminence over the so-called collective good.

Historical origin

The establishment of a clear discourse on the rights of man is relatively recent. However, from the most remote antiquity there were attempts and attitudes of specific rulers who pointed in this line.

Human rights in ancient times

Mesopotamia

The most remote antecedents of human rights date back to ancient Mesopotamia. In this sense, in Mesopotamia there was a practice that was called the "tradition of the just king."

The first monarch to be known in this tradition was Urukagina of Lagash. This ruled in that locality during the XXIV century BC. It was possible to have knowledge in our era about it due to the discovery of some cylinders in the year 1879.

In them there was a statement made by the Persian king Cyrus the Great, who had advances in relation to the rights of people circumscribed to the religious area.

Greece and Rome

Greco-Roman societies presented severe injustices. For example, in these cultures slavery was tolerated and it was part of the scheme of what was “normal”.

Greek society established differences between its inhabitants. The population was divided into Greek citizens as such, foreigners and finally slaves. It must be taken into account that in the Greek conception the main thing was the common good over the individual good. The individual was simply part of a whole.

Glimpses of what could point to individual rights occurred in this society with some myths, such as that of Antigone, who breached a king's mandate and buried her brother with dignity obeying a moral law.

Both Plato and Aristotle held to the idea of ​​the social good over the individual. In fact, Plato went to extremes in this regard by arguing that deformed or defective newborns should be killed for the social good, as well as seeking the banishment of those who did not fit into society.

Similarly, the abuses of Roman rulers, especially during the imperial era, were legendary, reaching cases such as those of Nero and Caligula. However, humanity would begin to walk the path of individual rights with the arrival of Christianity and currents such as Stoicism and Epicureanism.

Mainly, Christianity contributed the notion of equality. Also in the case of Stoicism, men were assumed with a universal character. This goes beyond the collective good that was sought in the Greek polis.

The Middle Ages

The influence of Christianity spanned the Middle Ages in the West. A series of teachings in the so-called New Testament condemn actions such as murder or theft. Likewise, Christianity, perhaps because it is inscribed in the Jewish tradition, brings notions in relation to what is just.

As for these ideas, the notion of fair prices for things and the disapproval of greed appears. These elements were exerting an influence on Roman law and the general situation of both slaves and women improved.

However, the fact that these Christian ideas were at odds with the feudal order has been questioned. This occurred in the sense that society was stratified and there were abused classes, such as the serfs of the gleba.

Modern age

It was precisely the French Revolution and North American Independence that led to the effective and legal recognition of human rights. Both processes of 1789 and 1776 respectively contain declarations of human rights.

The philosophical thought of different figures led to the effective realization of these statements. Among these are Hegel, Kant, David Hume, John Locke, and Samuel Pufendorf, among others.

Twentieth century

The 20th century meant great advances in human rights. First, in 1926 the Slavery Convention entered into force, prohibiting it in all its forms. The Geneva Convention was also an achievement for the rights of prisoners of war.

Finally, the great milestone in terms of the consecration of Human Rights took place in 1948 when the UN issued the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Consecration of human rights in Mexico

The French Revolution and North American Independence had a decisive influence on other historical processes. Among them is the Mexican Revolution. The load of libertarian ideas also reached Mexico.

In 1847, the so-called Procuraduría de los Pobres was created, which looked after the interests of the least favored. Similarly, the so-called Yucatan Constitution of 1841 protected the enjoyment of individual rights of those who felt violated by regulations of the governor.

This was a significant precedent for the Constitution of 1857 and later that of 1917, where human rights are explicitly enshrined in Mexico. The latter is still in force today.

Constitution of 1917

The 1917 constitution institutes individual guarantees. Likewise, it guarantees the right to freedom, education, as well as gender equality. In addition, it established the right to free assembly and movement, among others.

In the Magna Carta of 1917 there are a total of 29 articles dedicated to human rights.

National Human Rights Directorate and National Human Rights Commission

The year 1989 was a milestone in Mexico since the National Human Rights Directorate was created at that time. Then, in 1990, the National Human Rights Commission was created.

Although in theory the Mexican State enshrines human rights, this nation, together with Venezuela, is one of those with the highest rate of violations in Latin America and of social problems. Mexico still has a long way to go in terms of the effective application of human rights.

References

1. Donnelly, J. (2013). Universal Human Rights in Theory and Practice. New York: Cornell University Press.
2. Donnelly, J., & Whelan, D. (2017). International Human Rights. London: Hachette UK.
3. Hamnett, BR (2006). A Concise History of Mexico. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
4. Mallinder, L. (2008). Amnesty, Human Rights and Political Transitions: Bridging the Peace and Justice Divide. Portland: Hart Publishing.
5. Meron, T. (1989). Human Rights and Humanitarian Norms as Customary Law. Oxford: Clarendon Press.