Date | Event/Person | Explanation of significance | 1776 | American Revolution | The American Revolution had a great influence on liberal thought and the importance of human rights throughout Europe. It aimed to guarantee the freedom of speech, expression, and association; to separate powers between executive, legislature & judiciary. By that time, people started to realize the importance of human rights and the rights they deserved. Even though, the struggles and successes of the youthful democracy were much in the minds of those who brought about the French Revolution, and most assuredly later helped to inspire revolutionists in Spain and American colonies. | 1789 | French Revolution | After the American Revolution, people knew that freedom was important. They didn't want to be controlled by the King and the Privileged class. The French Revolution has significant influence on human rights which still affects the world today. The most important ideas are liberty, equality and fraternity which people still believe it today. Besides, people used to believe in the absolute power of the church. After the French Revolution, they started to look for reason. It helped science. It indicated that people not only be aware of their rights of live and freedom of speech, but also their freedom of thought, conscience and religion. It is a big leap of people protest against their right in different aspects as a human being. | 1929-1968 | Martin Luther King | Martin Luther King, as a American activist spent his whole life against racism and fights back the human rights for black people. He is still today among the most well-known social activists in the world.Martin Luther King had contributed so much to the society and to fight for human rights for black people. He was the leader of the entire civil rights movement in the 1960s. He fought for and achieved mandatory equal voting rights in America for blacks and whites. One thing I was impressed by Martin Luther King is that he led nonviolent peaceful demonstrations proved to the world that action without violence can be effective and successful. Because of Martin Luther King, it is no longer legal in the United States to segregate or discriminate based on skin color. The standard has been set for all nations to treat everyone equally regardless of skin color because of the work of Martin Luther King. | 1918 | Nelson Mandela | Mandela is a man who stood firm and took his country from the extremes of apartheid through to democracy. He spent his whole life time to dispel segregation between the black and the white which they used to be
