<P> Although ideas of rights and liberty have existed in some form for much of human history , there is agreement that the earlier conceptions do not closely resemble the modern conceptions of human rights . According to Jack Donnelly , in the ancient world , `` traditional societies typically have had elaborate systems of duties ... conceptions of justice , political legitimacy , and human flourishing that sought to realise human dignity , flourishing , or well - being entirely independent of human rights . These institutions and practices are alternative to , rather than different formulations of , human rights '' . The history of human rights can be traced to past documents , particularly Constitution of Medina ( 622 ) , Al - Risalah al - Huquq ( late 7th to early 8th century ) , Magna Carta ( 1215 ) , the German Peasants ' War Twelve Articles ( 1525 ) , the English Bill of Rights ( 1689 ) , the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen ( 1789 ) , and the Bill of Rights in the United States Constitution ( 1791 ) . </P>
<P> Although ideas of rights and liberty have existed in some form for much of human history , there is agreement that the earlier conceptions do not closely resemble the modern conceptions of human rights . According to Jack Donnelly , in the ancient world , `` traditional societies typically have had elaborate systems of duties ... conceptions of justice , political legitimacy , and human flourishing that sought to realise human dignity , flourishing , or well - being entirely independent of human rights . These institutions and practices are alternative to , rather than different formulations of , human rights '' . The history of human rights can be traced to past documents , particularly Constitution of Medina ( 622 ) , Al - Risalah al - Huquq ( late 7th to early 8th century ) , Magna Carta ( 1215 ) , the German Peasants ' War Twelve Articles ( 1525 ) , the English Bill of Rights ( 1689 ) , the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen ( 1789 ) , and the Bill of Rights in the United States Constitution ( 1791 ) . </P>
when was the term human rights first used
when was the term human rights first used
Constitution of Medina
Constitution of Medina