1 January 1942: The name "United Nations" is coined

by US President Franklin D Roosevelt. It was first used

in the Declaration by United Nations during the Second
World War, when representatives of 26 nations pledged
to continue fighting together.
on International Organization to draw up the United Nations
Charter. Poland, which was not represented at the Conference,
signed it later and became one of the original 51 Member
States.

1215

Britain'sKingJohnisforcedbyhislordstosigntheMagna
Cartaacknowledgingthatfreemenareentitledtojudgment
bytheirpeersandthatevenasovereignisnotabovethelaw.

1492 ColonizationofWesternHemisphereculminatesinmassacre
1537 oftheIncasbytheSpanishConquistadorscausingsome
theologianstochallengethemeansemployedtoenforce
God'slaws.
1583 HugoGrotius,Dutchjuristcreditedwiththebirthof
1645 internationallaw,speaksofbrotherhoodofhumankindand
theneedtotreatallpeoplefairly.
1628

BritishPetitionofRightsisadopted.

1634

MarylandisfoundedasaCatholiccolonywithreligious
tolerance.

1647

RhodeIslandassemblydraftsconstitutionestablished
freedomofconscience,separatingchurchandstate.

1648

TreatyofWestphaliaendsThirtyYears'War,whichsplit
Germanyintohostilereligiouscamps.Europereorganizes
intoapluralistic,secularsocietyofstates.

1689

BritishBillofRightsisadopted;JohnLockesetsforththe
notionofnaturalrightsoflife,libertyandproperty.

1776

U.S.DeclarationofIndependenceproclaimsthat"allmenare
createdequal"andendowedwithcertaininalienablerights.

1783

TheMassachusettsSupremeCourtoutlawsslaveryinthat
state,citingthestatesbillofrightsthat"allmenarebornfree
andequal."

1785

VirginiaStatuteofReligiousFreedomwrittenbyThomas
JeffersonpassesVirginiaHouseofBurgesses.(Jefferson
rankedthisalongwithDeclarationofIndependenceand
foundingUniversityofVirginiaasoneofhismostsignificant
accomplishments).

1787

ThedelegatesoftheConstitutionalConventionadoptthe
UnitedStatesConstitution.Ninestatesratifyitthefollowing
year.

1789

FrenchDeclarationoftheRightsofManandtheCitizenis
adopted.

1791

U.S.BillofRightsincorporatesnotionsoffreedomofspeech,
press,andfairtrialintothenewU.S.Constitution.

1793

HenriGregoire,BishopofBlois,proposesacodeof
immutableprincipleswhereby"theprivateinterestofone
nationwouldbesubordinatedtothegeneralinterestofthe
humanfamily."(Proposaldefeated.)

1807

TheUnitedStatesCongressoutlawstheimportationof
AfricanslavesintotheUnitedStates.Nevertheless,some
250,000slavesareillegallyimportedbetween1808and1860.

1815

TheCongressofViennaisheldbystatesthatdefeated
Napoleon.Internationalconcernforhumanrightsis
demonstratedforfirsttimeinmodernhistory.Freedomof
religionisproclaimed,civilandpoliticalrightsdiscussed,
slavetradecondemned.

1830

CongresspassestheIndianRemovalActinordertofreeland
forsettlement,forcing70,000NativeAmericanstorelocatein
whatcametobeknownasthe"TrailofTears."ManyNative
Americansdiedonthelongtrekswestward.

1833

GreatBritainpassesAbolitionAct,endingslaveryinthe
BritishEmpire.

1841

Russia,France,Prussia,Austria,andGreatBritainsignthe
TreatyofLondonabolishingslavery.

1848

Some200womenandmenmeetinSenecaFalls,NewYork,to
drafta"billofrights"outliningthesocial,civil,andreligious
rightsofwomen.

1857

IntheDredScottcase,theSupremeCourtruledthatAfrican
Americanscouldnotbefreenorcouldtheybecitizens.The
casewaslateroverturnedintheCivilRightsActof1866.

1863

OnJanuary1,UnitedStatesPresidentAbrahamLincoln
issuestheEmancipationProclamation,declaringthat"all
personsheldasslaveswithinanyState,ordesignatedpartof
aState,thepeoplewhereofshallbeinrebellionagainstthe
UnitedStates"are"foreverfree."

1865

TheThirteenthAmendmenttotheUnitedStatesConstitution,
abolishingslaveryintheUnitedStates,takeseffecton
December18.

1868

TheFourteenthAmendmenttotheUnitedStatesConstitution
isratifiedonJuly28.Theamendmentprohibitsabridgmentof
citizenshiprightsandreaffirmstheprinciplesofdueprocess
andequalprotectionofthelawforpersonsbornor
naturalizedintheUnitedStatesandsubjecttothelaws
thereof.

1870

TheFifteenthAmendmenttotheConstitution,whichstates

that"therightofcitizensoftheUnitedStatestovoteshallnot
bedeniedorabridgedbytheUnitedStatesorbyanyStateon
accountofrace,color,orpreviousconditionofservitude,"
goesintoeffectonMarch30.
1885

BerlinConferenceonAfricapassesantislaveryact.

1890

BrusselsConferencepassesantislaveryact.

1907

CentralAmericanPeaceConferenceprovidesfortherightof
alienstoappealtocourtswheretheyreside.

1914

GreatWarbegins.Withnewweapons,civilianpopulations
becomevictimsofexpandedwarfare.Asareaction,anew
senseofinternationalmoralitybeginstoemerge.

1915

MassacreofArmeniansperpetratedbyTurks.

1919

AtendofWorldWarI,TreatyofVersaillesrequiresthat
KaiserWilhelmIIbeplacedontrialfora"supremeoffense
againstinternationalmoralityandthesanctityoftreaties."He
escapes,butforthefirsttimeinhistory,nationsseriously
considerimposingcriminalpenaltiesonheadsofstatefor
violationsoffundamentalhumanrights.AtVersailles,other
treatiesstressminorities'rights,includingrighttolife,liberty,
freedomofreligion,righttonationalityofthestateof
residence,completeequalitywithothernationalsofthesame
state,andexerciseofcivilandpoliticalrights.
TheInternationalLabourOrganization(ILO)isestablishedto
advocatehumanrightsrepresentedinlaborlaw,
encompassingconcernssuchasemploymentdiscrimination,
forcedlabor,andworkersafety.

1920

LeagueofNationsCovenantrequiresmembersto"endeavor
tosecureandmaintainfairandhumaneconditionsoflabor
formen,womenandchildren,""securejusttreatmentofthe
nativeinhabitantsofterritoriesundertheircontrol,"andtake

measuresforthepreventionandcontrolofdisease."Outof
theseprovisionsgrowsworkofInternationalLabour
Organization.
TheNineteenthAmendmenttotheUnitedStatesConstitution,
grantingwomentherighttovote,isratifiedonAugust26.
1924

TheSnyderActisapprovedbytheUnitedStatesCongress,
admittingallNativeAmericansbornintheUnitedStatesto
fullU.S.citizenship.

1926

GenevaConferencepassesSlaveryConvention.

1930

ConventionConcerningForcedorCompulsoryLabor(ILO)
isadopted.

1933

Ina100dayspecialsession,CongresspassesPresident
FranklinD.Roosevelts"NewDeal,"guaranteeingsocialand
economicmeasuresforworkers.

1934

TheUnitedStatesCongresspassestheIndianReorganization
Act,whichrestorestribalownershipofreservationlandsand
establishesacreditfundforlandpurchasesbyNative
Americans.

1933 AdolphHitlersNaziregimecomestopowerinGermanyon
1945 January30,1933.Theperiodfromthisdatethroughtheend
oftheWarinEurope(May8,1945)isrememberedasthe
"Holocaust".
1933 AseriesofdiscriminatorylawsarepassedinGermany(the
1939 "LawsofApril"andthe"NurembergLaws")which
progressivelyexcludepeopleofJewishancestryfrom
employment,education,housing,healthcare,marriagesof
theirchoice,pensionentitlements,professionssuchaslaw
andmedicine,andpublicaccommodationssuchastheatres,
cinemasandvacationresorts.Germanybeginsmurdering
physicallyandmentallydisabledpeoplebygas,lethal

injectionandforcedstarvation.
1939

GermanyinvadesPolandthusbeginningtheSecondWorld
War.

1939 DuringWorldWarII,6millionEuropeanJewsare
1945 exterminatedbyHitler'sNaziregime.Millionsofothers
civiliansareforcedintoconcentrationcamps,subjectedto
ghastly"medical"experiments,starved,brutalized,murdered.
1941

UnitedStatesPresidentFranklinD.Roosevelt,inaspeech
beforetheUnitedStatesCongress,identifies"Four
Freedoms"asessentialforallpeople:freedomofspeechand
religion,freedomfromwantandfear.
UnitedStatesPresidentFranklinD.RooseveltandBritish
PrimeMinisterWinstonChurchilladopttheAtlanticCharter,
inwhichtheystatetheirhope,amongotherthings,"thatall
meninallthelandsmayliveouttheirlivesinfreedomfrom
wantandfear."

1942

FollowingtheattackontheUnitedStatesbyJapanon
December7,1941,theU.S.governmentforciblymovessome
120,000JapaneseAmericansfromthewesternUnitedStates
todetentioncamps;theirexclusionlaststhreeyears.Some40
yearslater,thegovernmentacknowledgestheinjusticeofits
actionswithpaymentstoJapaneseAmericansofthaterawho
arestillliving.
ReneCassinofFranceurgesthataninternationalcourtbe
createdtopunishthoseguiltyofwarcrimes.

1945

TheUnitedNations(UN)isestablished.ItsCharterstatesthat
oneofitsmainpurposesisthepromotionandencouragement
of"respectforhumanrightsandforfundamentalfreedoms
forallwithoutdistinctionastorace,sex,languageor
religion."UnliketheLeagueofNationsCovenant,theCharter
underscorestheprincipleofindividualhumanrights.

1946

CommissiononHumanRightsestablishedbytheUN
EconomicandSocialCouncil(ECOSOC).
CommissionontheStatusofWomenisestablishedby
ECOSOC(whereitwasoriginallyasubcommissionofthe
CommissiononHumanRights).