Human Rights, PLE-STE

These are the rights that you’re entitled to simply for being human. The term “human rights” is relatively new, but the concept of human rights had its origins in ancient Greece and Rome. Although the principle of human rights has gained widespread acceptance over the centuries, there has been disagreement over the nature and scope of such rights and their definition. Still, the reality of popular demands for human rights in the early 21st century is undeniable, and a deepening and widening concern for the promotion and protection of human rights on all fronts is now woven into the fabric of contemporary world affairs.
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Human Rights Encyclopedia Articles By Title

Plessy, Homer
Homer Plessy was an American shoemaker who was best known as the plaintiff in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case......
Poona Pact
Poona Pact, (September 24, 1932), agreement between Hindu leaders in India granting new rights to Dalits (low-caste......
Poor People’s Campaign
Poor People’s Campaign, political campaign that culminated in a demonstration held in Washington, D.C., in 1968,......
Powell, Adam Clayton, Jr.
Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. was a black American public official and pastor who became a prominent liberal legislator......
Power, Samantha
Samantha Power is an American journalist, human rights scholar, and government official who served on the National......
Prague Spring
Prague Spring, brief period of economic and political liberalization in Czechoslovakia under Alexander Dubček that......
Prague, Defenestration of
Defenestration of Prague, incident of Bohemian resistance to Habsburg authority that took place on May 23, 1618,......
Privacy Act of 1974
Privacy Act of 1974, U.S. legislation that restricts the dissemination of personal information about an individual......
privacy, rights of
rights of privacy, in U.S. law, an amalgam of principles embodied in the federal Constitution or recognized by......
Pérez Esquivel, Adolfo
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel is an Argentine sculptor and architect, who became a champion of human rights and nonviolent......
Quebec Act
Quebec Act, act of the British Parliament in 1774 that vested the government of Quebec in a governor and council......
Radical Republican
Radical Republican, during and after the American Civil War, a member of the Republican Party committed to emancipation......
Ram, Jagjivan
Jagjivan Ram was an Indian politician, government official, and longtime leading spokesman for the Dalits (formerly......
Ramos-Horta, José
José Ramos-Horta is an East Timorese political activist who, along with Bishop Carlos F.X. Belo, received the 1996......
Ramphele, Mamphela
Mamphela Ramphele is a South African activist, physician, academic, businesswoman, and political leader known for......
Randolph, A. Philip
A. Philip Randolph was a trade unionist and civil-rights leader who was an influential figure in the struggle for......
Rankin, Jeannette
Jeannette Rankin was the first woman member of the U.S. Congress, representing Montana in the House of Representatives......
Ransome-Kuti, Funmilayo
Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was a Nigerian feminist and political leader who was the leading advocate of women’s rights......
Rashnu
Rashnu, in Zoroastrianism, the deity of justice, who with Mithra, the god of truth, and Sraosha, the god of religious......
Reconstruction
Reconstruction, in U.S. history, the period (1865–77) that followed the American Civil War and during which attempts......
Reform Bill
Reform Bill, any of the British parliamentary bills that became acts in 1832, 1867, and 1884–85 and that expanded......
Reventlow, Christian Ditlev Frederik, Greve
Christian Ditlev Frederik, Greve (count) Reventlow was a Danish state official whose agrarian reforms led to the......
Ricci v. DeStefano
Ricci v. DeStefano, case alleging racial discrimination that was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court on June 29,......
Richards, Ann
Ann Richards was an American Democratic politician who served as governor of Texas from 1991 to 1995. A prominent......
Richards, Cecile
Cecile Richards is an American activist and administrator who was president of the Planned Parenthood Federation......
right to repair
right to repair, legal concept that the owner of a piece of equipment, such as a vehicle or an electronic device,......
right, petition of
petition of right, legal petition asserting a right against the English crown, the most notable example being the......
Rights, Bill of
Bill of Rights, one of the basic instruments of the British constitution, the result of the long 17th-century struggle......
Rights, Bill of
Bill of Rights, in the United States, the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which were adopted as a......
Rivera, Sylvia
Sylvia Rivera was an American civil rights activist who advocated for gay rights and was particularly influential......
Rizal, José
José Rizal was a patriot, physician, and man of letters who was an inspiration to the Philippine nationalist movement.......
Roberts, Ed
Ed Roberts was an American disability rights activist who is considered the founder of the independent-living movement.......
Roberts, Owen Josephus
Owen Josephus Roberts was an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (1930–45). Roberts was......
Robinson, Harriet Jane Hanson
Harriet Jane Hanson Robinson was a writer and woman suffrage leader in the United States. Robinson was a mill operative......
Robinson, Mary
Mary Robinson is an Irish lawyer, politician, and diplomat who served as the first woman president of Ireland (1990–97).......
Robinson, Randall
Randall Robinson was an American writer and political activist who founded (1977) the TransAfrica Forum (now TransAfrica),......
Roiphe, Anne
Anne Roiphe is an American feminist and author whose novels and nonfiction explore the conflicts between women’s......
Romero, Óscar, St.
St. Óscar Romero ; beatified May 23, 2015; canonized October 14, 2018; feast day March 24) was a Salvadoran Roman......
Rose, Ernestine
Ernestine Rose was a Polish-born American reformer and suffragist, an active figure in the 19th-century women’s......
Roy, Aruna
Aruna Roy is an Indian social activist known for her efforts to fight corruption and promote government transparency.......
Rubin, Jerry
Jerry Rubin was an American political activist turned businessman who gained his widest renown from the anti-Vietnam......
Ruffin, Josephine St. Pierre
Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin was an American community leader who was active in the women’s rights movement and......
Russell, John Russell, 1st Earl, Viscount Amberley of Amberley and of Ardsalla
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell was the prime minister of Great Britain (1846–52, 1865–66), an aristocratic liberal......
Rutledge, Wiley B., Jr.
Wiley B. Rutledge, Jr. was an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court (1943–49). Rutledge taught high......
Sahlins, Marshall
Marshall Sahlins was an American anthropologist, educator, activist, and author who through his study of the people......
Sainte-Marie, Buffy
Buffy Sainte-Marie is a Canadian-born American singer-songwriter, guitarist, political activist, and visual artist......
Sakharov, Andrey
Andrey Sakharov was a Soviet nuclear theoretical physicist, an outspoken advocate of human rights, civil liberties,......
Sanchez, Sonia
Sonia Sanchez is an American poet, playwright, and educator who was noted for her Black activism. Driver lost her......
Sands, Bobby
Bobby Sands was an officer of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) who rose to international prominence in 1981 when......
Sangay, Lobsang
Lobsang Sangay is a Tibetan scholar and political leader who became prime minister in the Tibetan Central Administration,......
Sanger, Margaret
Margaret Sanger was the founder of the birth control movement in the United States and an international leader......
Sarabhai, Mallika
Mallika Sarabhai is an Indian classical dancer and choreographer, actress, writer, and social activist known for......
Saro-Wiwa, Ken
Ken Saro-Wiwa was a Nigerian writer and activist, who spoke out forcefully against the Nigerian military regime......
Sarria, José
José Sarria was a Latino American drag performer and political activist who was the first openly gay person to......
Satyarthi, Kailash
Kailash Satyarthi is an Indian social reformer who campaigned against child labor in India and elsewhere and advocated......
Savage, Dan
Dan Savage is an American writer who rose to prominence in the 1990s via his frank and ribald syndicated sex-advice......
Savio, Mario
Mario Savio was a U.S. educator and student free-speech activist who reached prominence as spokesman for the 1960s......
Schlafly, Phyllis
Phyllis Schlafly was an American writer and political activist who was best known for her opposition to the women’s......
Schneemann, Carolee
Carolee Schneemann was an American multimedia artist whose feminist artworks dealt with identity and gender politics......
Schreiner, William Philip
William Philip Schreiner was a Southern African politician who was prime minister of Cape Colony at the outbreak......
Schroeder, Patricia
Patricia Schroeder was a U.S. politician who was the first woman elected to Congress from Colorado, serving in......
Schwabacher, Ethel
Ethel Schwabacher was an American artist associated with the Abstract Expressionist movement. Though not as well-known......
Schwimmer, Rosika
Rosika Schwimmer was a Hungarian-born feminist and pacifist whose national and international activism brought her......
Scott, Joan Wallach
Joan Wallach Scott is an American historian, best known for her pioneering contributions to the study of French......
Scottsboro case
Scottsboro case, major U.S. civil rights controversy of the 1930s surrounding the prosecution in Scottsboro, Alabama,......
Seale, Bobby
Bobby Seale is an American political activist who founded, along with Huey P. Newton, the Black Panther Party;......
second wave of feminism
second wave of feminism, the period of the women’s movement in the United States that emerged in the 1960s and......
Severance, Caroline Maria Seymour
Caroline Maria Seymour Severance was an American reformer and clubwoman who was especially active in woman suffrage......
Sewall, May Eliza Wright
May Eliza Wright Sewall was an American educator and reformer, best remembered for her work in connection with......
Shadd, Mary Ann
Mary Ann Shadd was an American educator, publisher, and abolitionist who was the first Black female newspaper publisher......
Shamash
Shamash, in Mesopotamian religion, the god of the sun, who, with the moon god, Sin (Sumerian: Nanna), and Ishtar......
Sharawi, Huda
Huda Sharawi was an Egyptian feminist and nationalist who established numerous organizations dedicated to women’s......
Sharpeville massacre
Sharpeville massacre, (March 21, 1960), incident in the Black township of Sharpeville, near Vereeniging, South......
Sharpton, Al
Al Sharpton is an American civil rights activist, politician, and minister who founded the National Action Network......
Shaw, Anna Howard
Anna Howard Shaw was an American minister, lecturer, and, with Susan B. Anthony, one of the chief leaders of the......
Shcharansky, Anatoly
Anatoly Shcharansky is a Soviet dissident, a human-rights advocate who was imprisoned (1977–86) by the Soviet government......
Sheehan, Cindy
Cindy Sheehan is an American peace activist whose public opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began after......
Shepard, Matthew
Matthew Shepard was an American college student who was severely beaten because of his sexual orientation and was......
Sheppard, Kate
Kate Sheppard was an English-born activist, who was a leader in the woman suffrage movement in New Zealand. She......
Shriver, Eunice Kennedy
Eunice Kennedy Shriver was an American social activist who worked tirelessly to improve the lives of the intellectually......
Silkwood, Karen
Karen Silkwood was an American laboratory technician and activist who attempted to expose the safety violations......
Simms, Ruth Hanna McCormick
Ruth Hanna McCormick Simms was an American public official, an activist on behalf of woman suffrage, and a Republican......
Sinclair, May
May Sinclair was an English writer and suffragist known for her innovations in the development of the psychological......
Sipuel v. Board of Regents
Sipuel v. Board of Regents, case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on January 12, 1948, ruled unanimously (9–0) to......
sit-in movement
sit-in movement, nonviolent movement of the U.S. civil rights era that began in Greensboro, North Carolina, in......
Social Cancer, The
The Social Cancer, novel by Filipino political activist and author José Rizal, published in 1887. The book, written......
social justice
social justice, in contemporary politics, social science, and political philosophy, the fair treatment and equitable......
Southern Poverty Law Center
Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a nonprofit organization based in Montgomery, Alabama, that is committed to......
Southern Student Organizing Committee
Southern Student Organizing Committee (SSOC), organization of students from predominantly white colleges and universities......
Spence, Catherine Helen
Catherine Helen Spence, was a writer and activist who sought to improve educational and welfare programs in Australia......
Spencer v. Kugler
Spencer v. Kugler, legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on January 17, 1972, summarily (without argument......
Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty
Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak is an Indian literary theorist, feminist critic, postcolonial theorist, and professor......
standpoint theory
standpoint theory, a feminist theoretical perspective that argues that knowledge stems from social position. The......
Stanton, Elizabeth Cady
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was an American leader in the women’s rights movement who in 1848 formulated the first concerted......
Steele, Michael
Michael Steele is an American politician, the first African American to serve as chairman of the Republican National......
Stein, Jill
Jill Stein is a former practicing physician and an environmental activist who has run as the candidate of the Green......
Stein, Karl, Reichsfreiherr vom und zum
Karl, Reichsfreiherr vom und zum Stein was a Rhinelander-born Prussian statesman, chief minister of Prussia (1807–08),......
Steinem, Gloria
Gloria Steinem is an American feminist, political activist, and editor who was an articulate advocate of the women’s......
Stevenson, Bryan
Bryan Stevenson is an American lawyer, professor, author, and activist who works to bring legal representation......
Stewart, Ella Winter
Ella Winter Stewart was an Australian-born journalist who devoted her life to radical causes, to the peace movement,......

Human Rights Encyclopedia Articles By Title