Act of Abjuration – a.k.a. Dutch Declaration of Independence (1581)
Editor’s note: Popularly known as ‘the Dutch Declaration of Independence,’ this document — formally entitled the Act of Abjuration — Plakkaat van Verlatinghe in Dutch (literally “placard of desertion”) — was the collective product in July 26, 1581 of leaders of a group of northern Dutch provinces who asserted their independence from Spanish rule. Though it is […]
Universal Declaration of Rights of Mother Earth (April 22, 2010)
Editor’s note: The product of the 2010 World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother earth, held in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and attended by progressive activists and indigenous leaders from around the world, among others, this expressive document asserts that the Earth itself is a living being has inherent rights. Universal Declaration of Rights of Mother […]
Magna Carta – a.k.a. Declaration of the Rule of Law (June 12, 1215)
Editor’s Note: Often referred to as the ‘Declaration of the rule of law,’ the Magna Carta, or ‘Great Charter,’ was enacted in 1215, the culmination of the efforts of English barons to limit monarchical rule and enumerate rights for the people (especially people like them). In one of its most-known clauses, the Magna Carta states that “No […]
Declaration of Equality, by Fredric K. Schroeder, National Federation of the Blind (July 5, 2007)
Editor’s note: This declaration of equality, composed by Fredric K. Schroeder, First Vice President of the National Federation of the Blind and a research professor at San Diego State University, draws upon our July 4, 1776 Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and Lincoln’s Gettysburg address in making its stirring case for equal rights for the blind. […]
The Declaratory Act of the British Parliament (1766)
Editor’s note: Great Britain’s powers that be tried their own hand at declaration crafting during the revolutionary era. Parliament’s aim was to put the colonists in their place — but their Declaratory Act only served to make them more unified against king and parliament over the longer haul. After repealing the loathed Stamp Act of 1765, Britain […]
Declaration for Gender Freedom
MyDeclaration Gender is the water we swim in every day. Gender is so integrated into our cultures and our social systems, it’s easy to forget (or miss) that it is a concept invented by people. Personally, I didn’t understand the difference between sex and gender until I was in my 20’s. Looking back, it seems […]
Declaration of War on Poverty in America (1964)
Editor’s Note: This declaration was not written on parchment, but rather was issued about halfway through President Johnson’s first State of the Union Address. It was LBJ’s opening salvo in “unconditional war on poverty in America.” Johnson considered it vital “to declare war on a domestic enemy which threatens the strength of our nation and […]
Act of Abjuration – Dutch Declaration of Independence, July 26, 1581
Editor’s Note: This is often referred to as the first modern declaration of independence, in which the people disown their king. There are many telling similarities between this document, and its compelling case for dispensing with what it perceives as monarchical tyranny, and our July 4, 1776 Declaration of Independence — and to this day […]
Declaration of Sentiments of the American Anti-Slavery Convention, 1833.
Editor’s Note: The prominent abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison asserts in this declaration, the composition of which he spearheaded, that slavery is a moral evil and that “every American citizen, who detains a human being in involuntary bondage as his property, is, according to Scripture, (Ex. xxi. 16,) a man-stealer”. Garrison’s, whose deeds matched his rhetoric, co-founded the […]
A Declaration for Gender Equality in Pay
MyDeclaration Women are nearly 50 percent of the workforce in the U.S., but our work places are far from equal. Studies like those from the American Association of University Women (AAUW) show that a gender pay gap exists even with an apples-to-apples comparison. After controlling for factors known to affect earnings, such as education, parenthood, […]
