1789 20th June
Third Estate
This record states: The first year of the Revolution sees members of the 3rd Estate proclaiming the Tennis Court Oath in June, the assault on the Bastille in July, the passage of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and.
French Revolution · permanent subject timeline
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
The revolutionary declaration adopted in August 1789. This page combines historical context with 3 matching records drawn directly from the World History Database French Revolution archive.
Historical context
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen: overview and significance
What happened?
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen set out principles of liberty, equality before the law, national sovereignty and individual rights. Adopted by the Constituent Assembly in August 1789, it became one of the Revolution's most influential political texts.
Why was it important?
The Declaration gave the Revolution a universal political vocabulary. Its language shaped constitutional debate in France and influenced later arguments about citizenship, rights and legitimate government far beyond the revolutionary decade.
World History Database records
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen timeline
The records below are selected from the 814-record French Revolution archive using this page's subject criteria and are ordered chronologically.
1789
1789 11th July
Draft Declaration of Rights
Lafayette read his draft declaration of the rights of man and the citizen to the National Assembly.
1789 5th August
August Decrees
The National Assembly declares the feudal system abolished. The August Decrees pave the way for the National Assembly to make the Declaration of the Rights of Man.
Editorial provenance
Sources and editorial review
Compiled and edited by World History Database
Historical context is editorial material; the chronology is generated from the World History Database French Revolution records.
Last reviewed: September 2026.
Reference points: Assemblée nationale — Révolution française · Archives nationales — 1789
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