Declaration of the Rights of Man

The Seventeen Articles of the Declaration of the Rights of Man:

1. Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be founded only upon the general good.

Translation: All men are born with the same freedom and rights, and that can only be changed when one does something against the greater good.

2. The aim of all political association is the preservation of the natural and imprescriptible rights of man. These rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.

Translation: The goal of all political agreements is to maintain or protect the natural and inalienable rights of man.

3. The principle of all sovereignty resides essentially in the nation. No body nor individual may exercise any authority which does not proceed directly from the nation.
Translation: Basically it is saying that only authorized personel or government officials of the nation have a say in politics.

4. Liberty consists in the freedom to do everything which injures no one else; hence the exercise of the natural rights of each man has no limits except those which assure to the other members of the society the enjoyment of the same rights. These limits can only be determined by law.

Translation: You have the freedom to do as you please, but once you harm someone else in anyway that freedom ends.

5. Law can only prohibit such actions as are hurtful to society. Nothing may be prevented which is not forbidden by law, and no one may be forced to do anything not provided for by law.
Translation: Basically it is saying if it is not forbidden by law, no one can stop you from doing it.

6. Law is the expression of the general will. Every citizen has a right to participate personally, or through his representative, in its foundation. It must be the same for all, whether it protects or punishes. All citizens, being equal in the eyes of the law, are equally eligible to all dignities and to all public positions and occupations, according to their abilities, and without distinction except that of their virtues and talents.
Translation: So in summary, Everyone under the law is equal, and the man is only limited by himself. A man's limitations are of his innate abilities or disabilities.

7. No person shall be accused, arrested, or imprisoned except in the cases and according to the forms prescribed by law. Any one soliciting, transmitting, executing, or causing to be executed, any arbitrary order, shall be punished. But any citizen summoned or arrested in virtue of the law shall submit without delay, as resistance constitutes an offense.
Translation: The law is the only thing that can justify if a man should be accused, arrested or put in jail. The citizens or the people must be aware of the consequences that will follow with breaking the law.

8. The law shall provide for such punishments only as are strictly and obviously necessary, and no one shall suffer punishment except it be legally inflicted in virtue of a law passed and promulgated before the commission of the offense.
Translation: The people can only be punished by the law.

9. As all persons are held innocent until they shall have been declared guilty, if arrest shall be deemed indispensable, all harshness not essential to the securing of the prisoner's person shall be severely repressed by law.
Translation: A man is innocent until proven guilty. The man will recieve treatment as if he is an innocent, unless he refuses to comply with the law.

10. No one shall be disquieted on account of his opinions, including his religious views, provided their manifestation does not disturb the public order established by law.
Translation: One is entitled or has the right to have his own opinions, religious views, as long as it does not disturb the people or go against the law.

11. The free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights of man. Every citizen may, accordingly, speak, write, and print with freedom, but shall be responsible for such abuses of this freedom as shall be defined by law.
Translation: Just like the 1st amendment of the american bill of rights in the constitution, This is stating that one has the right or the freedom of speech and press, but only to a certain extent.

12. The security of the rights of man and of the citizen requires public military forces. These forces are, therefore, established for the good of all and not for the personal advantage of those to whom they shall be intrusted.
Translation: The military is subject to protect the nation and the people within it.

13. A common contribution is essential for the maintenance of the public forces and for the cost of administration. This should be equitably distributed among all the citizens in proportion to their means.
Translation: A tax or payment that is determined by the people or their representatives is essential to pay for the military and must be paid by everyone.

14. All the citizens have a right to decide, either personally or by their representatives, as to the necessity of the public contribution; to grant this freely; to know to what uses it is put; and to fix the proportion, the mode of assessment and of collection and the duration of the taxes.
Translation: The necessity for the tax, the amount, how it should be collected and what it should be used for is decided by the people or their representatives.

15. Society has the right to require of every public agent an account of his administration.
Translation: Every official must keep a record of his administration and must be given to one upon request.

16. A society in which the observance of the law is not assured, nor the separation of powers defined, has no constitution at all.
Translation: In order for a society to function, it requires the laws to be enforced, a separation in powers must be definitive, and a constitution must be written.

17. Since property is an inviolable and sacred right, no one shall be deprived thereof except where public necessity, legally determined, shall clearly demand it, and then only on condition that the owner shall have been previously and equitably indemnified.

Translation: One's right to own or have property is natural. It cannot be taken by anyone but the law. The law can only take it if it is of a public need and if the one is completely and previously informed about it.

My Comment:

This picture reminds me of the Ten Commandments of Christianity. In this illustration,

The Declaration of the Rights of Man is using the image of the two angels to represent the protectors to the document. This may cause a conflict between the certain religion that is reflected and the ones that others may believe in. The "All-seeing eye" in the pyramid at the top can be seen as God's eye guiding the people in the right direction and watching over the people of the nation. In this case, the document and the visual representations that surround it may be an intentional way to encourage Christianity with the creation of the declaration.