Today is International Human Rights Day, marking the 65th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document signed in the aftermath of World War II and the Holocaust.
Here are three video resources to bring into your classroom to teach about the history of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and its continued impact on our world today.
Who was Eleanor Roosevelt?
In 1945, after the death of her husband President Franklin Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt participated in the birth of the United Nations and embraced a new role, advocating across the globe for human rights. Eventually, Eleanor would go on to help craft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Watch this video to explore Eleanor's childhood and evolution from a charitable and affluent young woman to a leader interested in social justice.
Eleanor Roosevelt and the Declaration of Human Rights
In this video, learn about Eleanor Roosevelt's views on civil rights and how she confronted the disparity between racial discrimination and World War II rhetoric in the U.S. Keep watching to better understand the ideological and strategic challenges Roosevelt faced in her role as the chairperson of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
How the Declaration Came to Be and Its Meaning and Role In Our World Today
In this video, Mary Ann Glendon, U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See and author of A World Made New: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, talks about how the Universal Declaration of Human Rights came to be and the meaning and role it plays in our world today.
You can find the full text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights here. Read the text (it's not too long - only five pages!) and let us know - Are there articles within the declaration that particularly resonate? Which of these articles seem most important to your own life? To the survival of mankind? Comment below or tweet us the answer @facinghistory!
