CHAPTER V. COMPARISON OF THE FRENCH
AND AMERICAN DECLARATIONS.
DÉCLARATION DES DROITS DE
L'HOMME ET DU CITOYEN.
AMERICAN BILLS OF RIGHTS.
ART. I. Les homes naissent et demeurent
libres et égaux en droits. Les distinctions
sociales ne peuvent être fondées que sur
l'utilité commune.
2. Le but de toute association politique est
la conservation des droits naturels et
imprescriptibles de l'homme. Ces droits
sont la liberté, la propriété, la sûreté et la
résistance à l'oppression.
VIRGINIA, I. That all men are by nature
equally free and independent, and have
certain inherent rights, of which, when they
enter into a state of society, they cannot, by
any compact, deprive or divest their
posterity; namely, the enjoyment of life and
liberty, with the means of acquiring and
possessing property, and pursuing and
obtaining happiness and safety.
VIRGINIA, IV. That no man, or set of men,
are entitled to exclusive or separate
emoluments or privileges from the
community, but in consideration of public
services.
MASSACHUSETTS, Preamble to the
Constitution. The end of the institution,
maintenance, and administration of
government is to secure the existence of the
bodypolitic, to protect it, and to furnish the
individuals who compose it with the power
of enjoying, in safety and tranquillity, their
natural rights and the blessings of life.
MARYLAND, IV. The doctrine of
nonresistance, against arbitrary power and
oppression, is absurd, slavish and destructive
of the good and happiness of mankind.
3. Le principe de toute souveraineté réside
essentiellement dans la nation. Nul corps,
nul individu ne peut exercer d'autorité qui
n'en émane expréssement.
VIRGINIA, II. That all power is vested in,
and consequently derived from, the people;
that magistrates are their trustees and
servants, and at all times amenable to them.
4. La liberté consiste à pouvoir faire tout
ce qui ne nuit pas à autrui; aussi
l'exercise des droits naturels de chaque
homme n'a de bornes que celles qui
MASSACHUSETTS, Preamble. The
bodypolitic is formed by a voluntary
association of individuals; it is a social
compact by which the whole people
assurent aux autres membres de la société
la jouissance de ces mêmes droits. Ces
bornes ne peuvent étre déterminées que
par la loi.
covenants with each citizen and each citizen
with the whole people that all shall be
governed by certain laws for the common
good.
MASSACHUSETTS, X. Each individual of
the society has a right to be protected by it in
the enjoyment of his life, liberty, and
property, according to standing laws.
5. La loi n'a le droit de défendre que les
actions nuisibles à la société. Tout ce qui
n'est pas défendu par la loi ne peut être
empêtre contraint à faire ce qu'elle
n'ordonne pas.
MASSACHUSETTS, XI. Every subject of
the commonwealth ought to find a certain
remedy, by having recourse to the laws, for
all injuries or wrongs which he may receive
in his person, property, or character.
NORTH CAROLINA XIII. That every
freeman, restrained of his liberty, is entitled
to a remedy, to inquire into the lawfulness
thereof, and to remove the same, if unlawful;
and that such remedy ought not to be denied
or delayed.
VIRGINIA, VII. That all power of
suspending laws, or the execution of laws, by
any authority, without consent of the
representatives of the people, is injurious to
their rights, and ought not to be exercised.1
MARYLAND, V. That the right in the
people to participate in the Legislature, is the
best security of liberty, and the foundation of
all free government.
6. La loi est l'expression de la volonté
générale. Tous les citoyens ont le droit de
concourir personnellement ou par leurs
représentants à sa formation. Elle doitêtre
la même pour tous, soit qu'elle protège,
soit qu'elle punisse. Tous les citoyens
étant égaux à ses yeux, sont également
admissibles à toutes dignités, places et
emplois publics, selon leur capacité, et
sans autre distinction que celle de leurs
vertus et leurs talents.
MASSACHUSETTS, IX. All elections ought
to be free;2 and all the inhabitants of this
commonwealth, having such qualifications as
they shall establish by their frame of
government, have an equal right to elect
officers, and to be elected, for public
employments.
NEW HAMPSHIRE, XII. Nor are the
inhabitants of this State controllable by any
other laws than those to which they or their
representative body have given their consent.
7. Nul homme ne peut être accusé, arrêté,
ni détenu que dans les cas déterminés par
la loi et selon les formes qu'elle a
MASSACHUSETTS, XII. No subject shall
be held to answer for any crimes or no
offence until the same is fully and plainly,
prescrites. Ceux qui sollicitent, expédient,
exécutent ou font exécuter des ordres
arbitraires, doivent être punis; mais tout
citoyen appelé ou saisi en vertu de la loi
doit obéir à l'instant; il se rend coupable
par sa résistance.
substantially and formally, described to him;
or be compelled to accuse, or furnish
evidence against himself; and every subject
shall have a right to produce all proofs that
may be favorable to him; to meet the
witnesses against him face to face, and to be
fully heard in his defence by himself, or his
counsel at his election. And no subject shall
be arrested, imprisoned, despoiled, or
deprived of his property, immunities, or
privileges, put out of the protection of the
law, exiled or deprived of his life, liberty, or
estate, but by the judgment of his peers, or
the law of the land.3
VIRGINIA, X. That general warrants,
whereby an officer or messenger may be
commanded to search suspected places
without evidence of a fact committed, or to
seize any person or persons not named, or
whose offence is not particularly described
and supported by evidence, are grievous and
oppressive, and ought not to be granted.
NEW HAMPSHIRE, XVIII. All penalties
ought to be proportioned to the nature of the
offence.4
8. La loi ne doit établir que des peines
strictement nécessaires et nul ne peut être
puni qu'en vertu d'une loi établie et
promulguée antérieurement au délit et
légalement appliquée. MARYLAND, XIV. That sanguinary laws
ought to be avoided, as far as is consistent
with the safety of the State; and no law, to
inflict cruel and unusual pains and penalties,
ought to be made in any case, or at any time
hereafter.5
MARYLAND, XV. That retrospective laws,
punishing facts committed before the
existence of such laws, and by them only
declared criminal, are oppressive, unjust, and
incompatible with liberty; wherefore no ex
post facto law ought to be made.
9. Tout hommeétant présumé innocent Cf. above, MASSACHUSETTS, XII; further
jusqu' à ce qu'il ait été déclaré coupable,
s'il est jugé indispensable de l'arrêter,
toute rigueur qui ne serait pas nécessaire
pour s'assurer de sa personne doit être
sévèrement réprimée par la loi.
MASSACHUSETTS, XIV. Every subject
has a right to be secure from all unreasonable
searches and seizures of his person, his
houses, his papers, and all his possessions.
MASSACHUSETTS, XXVI. No magistrate
or court of law shall demand excessive bail
or sureties, impose excessive fines6…
10. Nul doit étre inquiété pour ses
opinions, même religieuses, pourvu que
leur manifestation ne trouble pas l'ordre
public établi par la loi.
NEW HAMPSHIRE, V. Every individual
has a natural and unalienable right to worship
GOD according to the dictates of his own
conscience, and reason; and no subject shall
be hurt, molested or restrained in his person,
liberty or estate for worshipping GOD, in the
manner and season most agreeable to the
dictates of his own conscience, or for his
religious profession, sentiments or
persuasion; provided he doth not disturb the
public peace, or disturb others, in their
religious worship.
VIRGINIA, XII. That the freedom of the
press is one of the great bulwarks of liberty,
and can never be restrained but by despotic
governments.
11. La libre communication des pensées et
des opinions est un des droits les plus
précieux de l'homme; tout citoyen peut
donc parler, écrire, imprimer librement
sauf à répondre de l'abus de cette liberté
dans les cas determinés par la loi. PENNSYLVANIA, XII. That the people
have a right to freedom of speech, and of
writing, and publishing their sentiments.
12. La garantie des droits de l'homme et
du citoyen nécessité une force publique.
Cette force est donc instituée pour
l'avantage de tous, et non pour l'utilité
particulière de ceux auxquels elle est
confiée.
PENNSYLVANIA, V. That government is,
or ought to be, instituted for the common
benefit, protection and security of the people,
nation or community; and not for the
particular emolument or advantage of any
single man, family, or sett of men, who are a
part only of that community.
13. Pour l'entretien de la force publique et
pour les dépenses d'administration, une
contribution commune est indispensable;
elle doit ére également répartie entre tous
les citoyens en raison de leurs facultés.
MASSACHUSETTS, X. Each individual of
the society has a right to be protected by it in
the enjoyment of his life, liberty, and
property, according to standing laws. He is
obliged, consequently, to contribute his share
to the expense of this protection; to give his
personal service, or an equivalent, when
necessary.
14. Tous les citoyens ont le droit de
constater, par eux mêmes ou par leur
représentants, la nécessité de la
contribution publique, de la consentir
librement, d' en suivre l'emploi, et d'en
déterminer la qualité, l'assiette, le
MASSACHUSETTS, XXIII. No subsidy,
charge, tax, impost, or duties, ought to be
established, fixed, laid or levied, under any
pretext whatsoever, without the consent of
the people, or their representatives in the
legislature.
recouvrement et la durée.
15. La société a le droit de demander See above, VIRGINIA, II; further
compte à tout agent public de son
administration. MASSACHUSETTS V. All power residing
originally in the people, and being derived
from them, the several magistrates and
officers of government vested with authority,
whether legislative, executive, or judicial, are
the substitutes and agents, and are at all times
accountable to them.
NEW HAMPSHIRE, III. When men enter
into a state of society, they surrender up
some of their natural rights to that society, in
order to insure the protection of others; and
without such an equivalent, the surrender is
void.
16. Toute société, dans laquelle la
garantie des droits n'est pas assurée, ni la
séparation des pouvoirs déterminée, n'a
point de constitution.
MASSACHUSETTS, XXX. In the
government of this commonwealth, the
legislative department shall never exercise
the executive and judicial powers, or either
of them; the executive shall never exercise
the legislative and judicial powers, or either
of them; the judicial shall never exercise the
legislative and executive powers, or either of
them; to the end it may be a government of
laws, and not of men.
17. La propriété étant un droit inviolable
et sacré, nul ne peut en être privé, si ce
n'est lors que la nécessité publique,
légalement constatée, l'exige évidemment,
et sous la condition d'une juste et
préalable indemnité.
MASSACHUSETTS, X…. But no part of the
property of any individual can, with justice,
be taken from him, or applied to public uses,
without his own consent, or that of the
representative body of the people…. And
whenever the public exigencies require that
the property of any individual should be
appropriated to public uses, he shall receive a
reasonable compensation therefor.
VERMONT, II. That private property ought
to be subservient to public uses, when
necessity requires it; nevertheless, whenever
any particular man's property is taken for the
use of the public, the owner ought to receive
an equivalent in money.
reference:
Georg Jellinek, The Declaration of the Rights of Man
and of Citizens: A Contribution to Modern Constitutional
History (1895)