• United States Constitution (including the Bill of Rights)

• French Revolution and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the
Citizen

• President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s speech to Congress declaring the Four Freedoms and their incorporation in the Atlantic Charter

• United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights

By studying the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, students should learn that concern for human rights is not confined to Western nations; it is an international issue.

Students should also learn that people as well as ideas and institutions have played a role in the defense of human rights. They should be introduced to individuals from many societies and time periods who have risked their own lives to preserve the rights and lives of others, because there have been heroes as well as villains in this issue.

Whenever violations of human rights are studied, they should be examined within their historical context, so that students understand the events, the participants, the causes, and the consequences. Students should consider these events as they are described by historians, the kinds of controversies that continue to rage about the events, and whether or not reputable historians agree about them. The treatment of these historical controversies should
reflect the History-Social Science Framework’s determination “to present controversial issues honestly and accurately within their historical or contemporary context.” In the same vein, classroom treatment of these issues should “recognize that historians often disagree about the interpretation of historical events and that today’s textbooks may be altered by future research.” In line with efforts to teach critical thinking, students should be encouraged to rely
on reasonable evidence when studying these historical controversies, rather than on biased accounts or emotional arguments. They should also learn to recognize the use of propaganda to justify or deny violations of human rights.

Within this curriculum the study of human rights has three objectives: first, study of the record of oppression of individuals and groups; second, study of the governmental means to prohibit abuses of human rights; and third, encouragement of democratic values and attitudes to foster respect for differences among people and for the rights of all people. These three objectives are found throughout the History-Social Science Framework, both in the content of the material studied and in the learning strands that form the content.

In the early grades, before children begin the formal study of history, they are taught democratic values and good citizenship. In kindergarten, children learn to work in groups, “to share, to take turns, to respect the rights of others,” and to cooperate in solving problems. Emphasis is placed on learning “behaviors and values that are consistent with the democratic ethic.” Children in grade two learn “basic civic values,” with attention to “the values of fair play, good sportsmanship, and respect for the opinions of others.” Special attention in grade two is placed on understanding cultural diversity. Children in grade three are introduced to men and women of achievement from different cultures, and they learn about heroic individuals who have worked to improve living conditions for others. In the early grades the content and methods of the curriculum converge to teach children to respect the rights of others, to appreciate the ways that they