PEC-2 Eleanor Roosvelt- Adoption Declaration OF Human Rights PDF

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UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE EDUCACIÓN A DISTANCIAGRADO DE ESTUDIOS INGLESESMUNDOS ANGLÓFONOS EN PERSPECTIVA HISTÓRICA Y CULTURALPRUEBA DE EVALUACIÓN CONTINUACOMENTARIO DE TEXTO: ELEANOR ROOSVELT. ON THE ADOPTION OF THEDECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS. 1948MARIA JOSE CRUZ MARIN.MARZO 2017.Eleanor Roosevelt’s ...

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UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE EDUCACIÓN A DISTANCIA GRADO DE ESTUDIOS INGLESES

MUNDOS ANGLÓFONOS EN PERSPECTIVA HISTÓRICA Y CULTURAL PRUEBA DE EVALUACIÓN CONTINUA

COMENTARIO DE TEXTO: ELEANOR ROOSVELT. ON THE ADOPTION OF THE DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS. 1948

MARIA JOSE CRUZ MARIN. MARZO 2017.

Eleanor Roosevelt’s on the Adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was a political discourse which was delivered in Paris, on the 10 th of December in 1948, while the United General Assembly was being celebrated. This political discourse was addressed to every person who attended the assembly, from the President to the fellow delegates, in order to receive the approval of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Declaration consisted of a preamble and 30 articles setting forth fundamental rights and freedoms. While the Declaration was taking shape, she was embroiled in bitter confrontations with the Russians. They wanted the inclusion of economic and social rights (employment, education, health care and so on) which they said that there were not less important than political rights. After some discussions, Mrs Roosevelt persuaded the State Department to accept the inclusion of economic rights. We can see the reference she made to the Soviet Union in some paragraphs of the speech. She said that the Soviet Union had proposed some amendments but unfortunately or fortunately, those amendments had been rejected in the Human Rights Commission. She supported the Russians saying that the Americans admired those who fought for their convictions and the Soviet delegation had fought for their ones. But in the older democracies they had learnt that sometimes, they bowed to the will of the majority excusing the taken decision. She mentioned that they knew that they had to work together and had to progress. Although she knew that those changes were going to be rejected again, Eleanor commented the most significant amendments that the Russians wanted. According to her, the amendments were summarized in articles 3, 20 and 22. In the first place, the article 3 referred to the necessity to be heard as an individual not as a group. Secondly, the article 20 was the most restrictive statement of the right to freedom of opinion and expression. Every state could deny the right to liberty of opinion and expression to everyone. That was the reason why the Soviet wanted the amendment of this article in particular. She introduced in the

last position but not for this reason less important, the article 22 which referred to the term “discrimination”. The aim of her discourse was to remind the Assembly that they had done a good job and it was not neither a treaty nor an international deal, it was only the Universal Declaration of principles of Human Rights and Liberties. Eleanor was absolutely convinced that it could be as the Carta Magna of all men everywhere. She said that they hoped that the proclamation by The General Assembly would be an event comparable to the proclamation of The Declaration of the Rights of Man by the French people in 1789, The Adoption of the Bill of Rights by the people of the United States and the adoption of comparable declarations at different times in other countries. Fortunately, the Declaration of Human Rights was adopted just before her speech. Eleanor Roosevelt was born in New York City on the 11th of October in 1884. In 1905, she was married with Franklin D. Roosevelt, who became President of the United States in 1933. It was then, when she changed the role of the first lady. She participated in a relevant way, in part of American political issues and she was well-known as a revolutionary first lady. After her husband’s death, Eleanor said that she did not want to continue doing her public service. Nevertheless, President Harry Truman appointed her as a delegate to the United Nations General Assembly. Therefore, she was named chair of the United Nations’ Human Rights Commission and helped to write the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But it was a bit later, in 1961 when President John F. Kennedy reappointed her to the United States delegation to the United Nations and ever later again, appointed her as the National Advisory Committee of the Peace Corps to chair the President’s Commission on the Status of Women. The Adoption of the Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 was the base of the creation of later international conventions and pacts. As a matter of fact, the two International Conventions of the United Nations, The International Pact of Civil and Political Rights and The International Pact of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights were approved in 1976, in support of the mentioned Declaration. Also,

The Spanish Constitution, which was approved in 1978, has a mention of the Universal Declaration. According to the Guinness World Record, the Universal Declaration of Human Right has been the most translated document in the World and some nongovernmental organizations, such as International Amnesty, have played the same role of fighting against human being’s grievances, thanks to the guarantee of dignity which offered the adoption of this historical document. In conclusion, this is the clear example of agreement between nations in human being’s benefit. Our history has showed us that in some periods of time all men and women in this planet were not treated the same way and had to suffer from unfairness just for defending what they considered it was fair. A lot of people died in revolutions, wars and battles just for not submitting. It is demonstrated that if the governments as well as the citizens dealt in a peaceful way they would obtained more than if they did not agree and adopted revolutionary methods. Personally, I am so proud of Eleanor Roosevelt, not only for her role while doing the Declaration, but also for her entire career. Once again in history, it had to be a woman who achieved the consent in favour of human being’s interests. Everyone should copy on her because of her honesty, education, and selfdetermination. She has given us the most important lesson of social justice and humanity.

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