“Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more. Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination.”
In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations. It outlines the basic human rights afforded to all individuals.
Below are some of the Boniuk Library’s resources on human rights. These are general resources. For further information, you may consider researching specific human rights violations, such as war crimes, genocides, or hate crimes.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
Books
Micheline Ishay – The Human Rights Reader: Major Political Essays, Speeches, and Documents from Ancient Times to the Present
National Geographic – Every Human Has Rights: A Photographic Declaration for Kids
Charlie Ogden – Human Rights and Liberty
Philippe Sands – East West Street: On the Origins of “Genocide” and “Crimes against Humanity”
William F. Schulz – In Our Own Best Interest: How Defending Human Rights Benefits Us All
Kay Whitlock – Considering Hate: Violence, Goodness, and Justice in American Culture and Politics
Search Terms
Civilization
Civil rights
Discrimination
Genocide
Human rights
Human rights — History
Multiculturalism
Racism
Social change
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
War crimes
Online Resources
The Advocates for Human Rights: Human Rights & The U.S.
Facing History and Ourselves: Universal Declaration of Human Rights Timeline
Texas State Historical Association: Civil Rights
United Nations: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
United Nations: Universal Human Rights Index
