Human Rights, THO-âNO
These are the rights that youâre entitled to simply for being human. The term âhuman rightsâ 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.
Human Rights Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Thorbecke, Johan Rudolf
Johan Rudolf Thorbecke was a leading Dutch political figure of the mid-19th century who, as prime minister (1849â53,......
Thunberg, Greta
Greta Thunberg was just eight years old when she became passionate about about climate change. By the time she......
Tijerina, Reies
Reies Tijerina was an American radical and civil rights activist who led a land-grant movement in northern New......
Till-Mobley, Mamie
Mamie Till-Mobley was an American educator and activist who helped galvanize the emerging civil rights movement......
Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement
The civil rights movement came to national prominence in the United States during the mid-1950s and continued to......
Timeline of Voting Rights in the United States
The right to vote is a hallmark of democratic governments. The strength of a democracy can be measured by its free......
Today in HistoryâJune 19: The Origin Story of Juneteenth
On this day in 1865, freedom finally arrived in Texas. Union soldiers stood before residents of Galveston and announced......
Today in HistoryâMay 17: Day 1: Brown v. Board of Education
In a unanimous ruling on this day in 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down racial segregation in public schools,......
Today in HistoryâOctober 9: Roger Williams Banished for âNewe & Dangerous Opinionsâ
Today in 1635, the Massachusetts Bay Colony banished a dangerous, radical thinker. His crime? Preaching an idea......
Today in HistoryâSeptember 20: Billie Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs
On this day in 1973, Bobby Riggs took on Billie Jean King in a tennis match televised around the world. He was......
Today in HistoryâSeptember 25: The Little Rock Nineâs First Full Day of Class
At 9:22 am on this day in 1957âescorted by federal troops as a U.S. Army helicopter circled overhead and protesting......
toleration
toleration, a refusal to impose punitive sanctions for dissent from prevailing norms or policies or a deliberate......
Toleration Act
Toleration Act, (May 24, 1689), act of Parliament granting freedom of worship to Nonconformists (i.e., dissenting......
Toleration, Edict of
Edict of Toleration, (Oct. 19, 1781), law promulgated by the Holy Roman emperor Joseph II granting limited freedom......
Tomasek, Frantisek
Frantisek Tomasek was a Roman Catholic cardinal, archbishop of Prague (1977â91), whose cautious but resolute opposition......
Toussaint Louverture
Toussaint Louverture was a leader of the Haitian independence movement during the French Revolutionary era (1787â99),......
Trotter, William Monroe
William Monroe Trotter was an African American journalist and vocal advocate of racial equality in the early 20th......
Truth and Reconciliation Commission, South Africa
Truth and Reconciliation Commission, South Africa (TRC), courtlike body established by the new South African government......
Tubman, William V S
William V. S. Tubman was a statesman whose 27 years as Liberiaâs 17th president constituted the longest tenure......
Tucker, Margaret
Margaret Tucker was an Australian activist who fought for the civil rights of Aboriginal people. Tucker was the......
Tutu, Desmond
Desmond Tutu was a South African Anglican cleric who in 1984 received the Nobel Prize for Peace for his role in......
Unaipon, David
David Unaipon Australian inventor, author, and political activist who was the first Australian Aboriginal person......
Union League
Union League, in U.S. history, any of the associations originally organized in the North to inspire loyalty to......
United Irishmen, Society of
Society of United Irishmen, Irish political organization formed in October 1791 by Theobald Wolfe Tone, James Napper......
United Latin American Citizens, League of
League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), one of the oldest and largest Latino organizations in the United......
United Nations
United Nations (UN), international organization established on October 24, 1945. The United Nations (UN) was the......
- Introduction
- International, Peacekeeping, Security
- Organs, Security Council, General Assembly
- Global Issues, Reforms, Solutions
- Subsidiary Organs
- Peacekeeping, Diplomacy, Development
- Peacekeeping, Peacemaking, Peacebuilding
- Arms Control, Disarmament, Peace
- Economic Welfare, Cooperation, Global Issues
- Social Welfare, Cooperation, Global Issues
- Human Rights, Global Peace, International Law
- Climate Change, Pollution, Sustainability
- Global Peace, Security, Cooperation
- Secretaries General
United Nations Decade for Women
United Nations Decade for Women, United Nations program that began on January 1, 1976, the goal of which was the......
United Nations Development Fund for Women
United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), organization that offers financial and technical support to......
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Office of the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), department of the United Nations (UN)......
United States presidential election of 1868
United States presidential election of 1868, American presidential election held on November 3, 1868, in which......
United States presidential election of 1876
United States presidential election of 1876, disputed American presidential election held on November 7, 1876,......
United States presidential election of 1968
United States presidential election of 1968, American presidential election held on November 5, 1968, in which......
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), foundational document of international human rights law. It has been......
Universal Negro Improvement Association
Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), primarily in the United States, organization founded by Marcus......
USA PATRIOT Act
USA PATRIOT Act, U.S. legislation, passed by Congress in response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks......
Vanier, Jean
Jean Vanier was a Swiss-born Roman Catholic social activist, theologian, and philosopher who was involved in efforts......
Varma, Mahadevi
Mahadevi Varma was an Indian writer, activist, and leading poet of the Chhayavad movement in Hindi literature.......
Virginia Declaration of Rights
Virginia Declaration of Rights, in U.S. constitutional history, declaration of rights of the citizen adopted June......
virtual sit-in
virtual sit-in, a tactic used by Internet activists to strongly inhibit or halt a Web siteâs traffic. Conducted......
Vitoria, Francisco de
Francisco de Vitoria was a Spanish theologian best remembered for his defense of the rights of the Indians of the......
Votes for Women
From the founding of the United States until the late 19th century, women were almost entirely excluded from voting......
voting rights
voting rights, in U.S. history and politics, a set of legal and constitutional protections designed to ensure the......
Voting Rights Act
Voting Rights Act, U.S. legislation (August 6, 1965) that aimed to overcome legal barriers at the state and local......
Wade, Benjamin F.
Benjamin F. Wade was a U.S. senator during the Civil War whose radical views brought him into conflict with presidents......
Wallis, Jim
Jim Wallis is an American Evangelical pastor and social activist who was the founder and editor in chief of Sojourners......
Wambaugh, Sarah
Sarah Wambaugh was an American political scientist who was recognized as one of the worldâs leading experts on......
Wangchuk, Sonam
Sonam Wangchuk began his professional life as an engineer working to reform education in his native Ladakh, in......
War Resistersâ International
War Resistersâ International (WRI), an international secular pacifist organization with headquarters in London......
Warsaw, Compact of
Compact of Warsaw, (Jan. 28, 1573), charter that guaranteed absolute religious liberty to all non-Roman Catholics......
Was Martin Luther King, Jr., a Republican or a Democrat?
Political parties are always looking for endorsements from community leaders and other influencers. Having support......
Watson, Paul
Paul Watson is a Canadian American environmental activist who founded (1977) the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society,......
Watts Riots of 1965
Watts Riots of 1965, series of violent confrontations between Los Angeles police and residents of Watts and other......
WaĆÄsa, Lech
Lech WaĆÄsa is a labor activist who helped form and lead communist Polandâs first independent trade union, Solidarity,......
Weather Underground
Weather Underground, militant group of young white Americans formed in 1969 that grew out of the anti-Vietnam War......
Weaver, Robert C.
Robert C. Weaver was a noted American economist who, as the first secretary (1966â68) of the U.S. Department of......
Wells, Emmeline Blanche Woodward
Emmeline Blanche Woodward Wells was an American religious leader and feminist who made use of her editorship of......
Wells, Ida B.
Born into slavery, Ida B. Wells would in her lifetime become the most famous Black woman in the United States for......
West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette
West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 14, 1943,......
West, Cornel
Cornel West is an American philosopher, scholar of African American studies, and political activist. His influential......
Westphalia, Peace of
Peace of Westphalia, European settlements of 1648, which brought to an end the Eighty Yearsâ War between Spain......
What Time of Night It Is
In 1881 National Woman Suffrage Association founders Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Matilda Joslyn......
What Was Frederick Douglassâs Position on Womenâs Rights?
In the aftermath of the American Civil War and at the beginnings of the Reconstruction period, communities of abolitionists......
White Rose
White Rose, German anti-Nazi group formed in Munich in 1942. Unlike the conspirators of the July Plot (1944) or......
White, Walter
Walter White was the foremost spokesman for African Americans for almost a quarter of a century and executive secretary......
Whitney, Charlotte Anita
Charlotte Anita Whitney was an American suffragist and political radical who was prominent in the founding and......
Wilberforce, William
William Wilberforce was a British politician and philanthropist who from 1787 was prominent in the struggle to......
Wilkes, John
John Wilkes was an outspoken 18th-century journalist and popular London politician who came to be regarded as a......
Wilkins, Roy
Roy Wilkins was a Black American civil rights leader who served as the executive director (1955â77) of the National......
Williams, Betty
Betty Williams was a Northern Irish peace activist who, with MĂĄiread Maguire and Ciaran McKeown, founded the Peace......
Williams, Hosea
Hosea Williams was an American civil rights leader and politician who was a major figure in the struggle against......
Williams, Robert
Robert Williams was an American civil rights leader known for taking a militant stance against racism decades before......
Wilmington Ten
Wilmington Ten, 10 civil rights activists who were falsely convicted and incarcerated for nearly a decade following......
Wine, Bobi
Bobi Wine is a Ugandan politician, performer, and activist who first garnered acclaim for his popular hits and......
Wisconsin v. Yoder
Wisconsin v. Yoder, legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on May 15, 1972, ruled (7â0) that Wisconsinâs compulsory......
Witness for Peace
Witness for Peace (WFP), U.S. nonprofit organization founded in 1983 by faith-based activists in response to the......
Wolf, Naomi
Naomi Wolf is a celebrated feminist writer whose groundbreaking work in the 1990s, including The Beauty Myth, gained......
Woman, Life, Freedom
Woman, Life, Freedom, protest slogan that affirms that the rights of women are at the centre of life and liberty.......
womanism
womanism, feminist intellectual framework that focuses on the conditions and concerns of women of color, especially......
Women with an opinion on reproduction
One woman cleverly evaded an arranged marriage at age 10 by discoloring her teeth. A dozen endured horrific violence......
Womenâs International League for Peace and Freedom
Womenâs International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), organization whose opposition to war dates from World......
Womenâs March
Womenâs March, demonstrations held throughout the world on January 21, 2017, to support gender equality, civil......
Womenâs National Loyal League
Womenâs National Loyal League, organization formed on May 14, 1863, by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton......
womenâs rights movement
womenâs rights movement, diverse social movement, largely based in the United States, that in the 1960s and â70s......
womenâs suffrage
womenâs suffrage, the right of women by law to vote in national or local elections. Women were excluded from voting......
Woodhull, Victoria
Victoria Woodhull was an unconventional American reformer, who at various times championed such diverse causes......
Woods, William B.
William B. Woods was an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court (1880â87). After being admitted to......
Wu, Harry Hongda
Harry Hongda Wu was a Chinese-born American activist who is best known for his efforts to expose human rights violations......
Young Lords
Young Lords, street gang formed by Puerto Ricans in Chicago that evolved into a diverse revolutionary civil rights......
Young, Andrew
Andrew Young is an American politician, civil rights leader, and clergyman who served in the U.S. House of Representatives......
Young, Roger Arliner
Roger Arliner Young was an American zoologist and social activist. Young was the first Black woman to earn a doctorate......
Young, Whitney
Whitney Young was an American civil rights leader who, as head of the National Urban League from 1961 to 1971,......
Yousafzai, Malala
Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist who, while a teenager, spoke out publicly against the prohibition on the......
Zille, Helen
Helen Zille is a South African journalist, activist, and politician who served as the national leader (2007â15)......
Zitkala-Sa
Zitkala-Sa was a writer and reformer who strove to expand opportunities for Native Americans and to safeguard their......
Ăbrego GarcĂa, Kilmar Armando
Kilmar Armando Ăbrego GarcĂaâs story involves the U.S. governmentâs extraordinary pursuit of a rather ordinary......
âNo Kingsâ protests
âNo Kingsâ protests, any of four nationwide demonstrations organized to protest the policies and actions of U.S.......