On August 26, 1789, the Assemblée Constituante adopted the Déclaration des Droits de l'Homme et du Citoyen. The text consists of 17 articles preceded by a "Préambule", written by Jean-Joseph Mounier and Mirabeau. It was placed at the beginning of the Constitution of September 3, 1791.

The Déclaration is based extensively on the philosophical reflections of the Enlightenment, particularly the thought of Locke, Voltaire, Montesquieu and Rousseau. Earlier declarations (such as that of the United States) had an uncontestable influence on the French, but as the web site of the French Prime Minister says, "l'originalité de la Déclaration des Droits de l'Homme et du Citoyen est d'avoir été conçue pour réunir des valeurs éternelles et universelles. Elle a donc rencontré dès sa publication un grand retentissement dans le monde occidental."

The Déclaration was more than a statement of abstract principle, however. It was eventually incorporated into the Constitution of fourth Republic. And the constitutional council created under the Fifth Republic gave it significantly greater legal force and standing.

It is interesting to compare this declaration to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which may be seen in French at this web site and to the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights.