On December 10, 1948, the General Assembly of the UN adopted the Declaration. All UN countries had to publicize the document so it would become well known to their citizens.

I am not sure, but I wonder if the creation of the Declaration had anything to do with World War II. The War had ended only a few years before, and the horror of the Holocaust was just sinking in for millions of people.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has a preamble and 30 articles.

The Preamble gives all people "inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family." That means that all people are created equal. It also states that all people can rebel, if they find it necessary. The United Nations also stated that it is important for countries to develop friendly relationships with one another.

I have found five VERY important rights that I think that all people should be aware of:

Article 1.

"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."

Article 2.

"Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty."

Article 3.

"Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person."

Article 13.

(1) "Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state."

(2) "Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country."

Article 26.

(1) "Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit."

(2) "Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace."

(3) "Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children."

The other Articles are also very important, but I felt that if you don't get a chance to go to the website, at least now you know five major freedoms.

I hope that our readers do not find this article frivolous, because it applies to EVERY SINGLE PERSON on the planet Earth. Isn't that great to know that no matter if you are American, Canadian, Irish, or whatever, you have rights? I do. Now, whether these rights are enforced in every country is an entirely different story....

Don't get mad at the player, get mad at the game...
minty0323

Work Cited:
http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html

Editor's Note: Great article, minty0323 -- and hey, it's nice to see you in the Times again!