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1776 BCE
first written law code 1792-1750 BCE
Babylonian King Hammurabi issues the first written law code, the Code of Hammurabi, based on revelation from Shamash, the god of justice. -
1760 BCE
Code of Hammurabi
In Babylon King Hammurabi draws up the ‘Code of Hammurabi’, an early legal document that promises to ‘make justice reign in the Kingdom and promote the good of the people’ -
1215 BCE
Magna Carter
After England suffers a defeat at the Battle of Bouvines, English Barons rebel against King John and force him to sign the Magna Carta. The charter established that all free men had certain rights that even the king could not violate. -
Period: 551 BCE to 471 BCE
Confucius
K'ung Fu Tzu (pronounced Confucius in English) establishes the dominant moral and political philosophy in China, Confucianism. The highest Confucian virtue "Jen" is described by Confucius as the principle "to love all men." -
Period: 500 BCE to 599 BCE
Charter of Freedom of Mankind
Cyrus the Great, King of the Medes and the Persians, issues the "Charter of Freedom of Mankind." It is considered the first charter of human rights. -
Period: 479 BCE to 431 BCE
Golden Age of Athens
A Golden Age takes place in Athens, under the leadership of Pericles. Athens experiments with Democracy in which there is widespread and direct participation by male citizens in the making of laws in the assembly on the basis of majority rule. -
Period: 469 BCE to 391 BCE
Expansion on Confunsionism
Chinese philosopher Mo-Zi expands on Confucian principles and advances the philosophy of "universal love" as a guiding principle of life. Because no benefit comes from destruction, Mo-Zi discourages large states from attacking smaller states. -
Period: 262 BCE to 232 BCE
The Edicts of Ashoka
King Asoka of India issues his Edicts, emphasizing goodness, kindness and generosity. -
English Bill of rights
In England, Parliament adopts the Bill of Rights that curtails the power of the monarch and includes freedom from torture and from punishment without trial. The Bill sets out that it is the job of government to represent the people and their rights. -
US Declaration of Independence
US Declaration of Independence proclaims that 'all men are created equal' and endowed with certain inalienable rights. -
Slavery Abolition Act 1833
The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 (3 & 4 Will. IV c. 73) was an 1833 Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom abolishing slavery throughout the British Empire -
Period: to
Armenian Genocide
Within nine months, more than 600,000 Armenians were massacred. Of the deported during that same period, more than 400,000 perished of the brutalities and privations of the southward march into Mesopotamia. By September more than a million Armenians were the victims of what later became known as the Armenian Genocide! A further 200,000 were forcibly converted to Islam to give Armenia a new Turkish sense of identity and strip the Armenian people of their past as the first Christians. -
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The Holocaust
The Holocaust, also referred to as the Shoah, was a genocide during World War II in which Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany, aided by its collaborators, systematically murdered some six million European Jews, -
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North Korean Human Rights Abuse
North Korea’s large-scale human rights abuses revealed: 120,000 prisoners held in gulags, citizens starved and publicly executed by firing squad. -
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Child Slavery in the Lord's Resistence Army
Child Slavery in the Lord's Resistence Army in Northen Uganda. Boys are taken to train as soldiers and girls are taken for sex slaves. -
Chemical Weapon Attacks in Syria
Syria’s ongoing civil war, which in almost three years has claimed the lives of approximately 100,000 people, continued full, force and throttle. In August, Syrian government forces under ruthless leader Bashar al-Assad were suspected of launching chemical weapon attacks on two Damascus suburbs, killing hundreds of civilians including children.