The Background of human rights

Originally, individuals had rights only because of their membership in a group, such as a family or social class.Then, in 539 B.C., Cyrus the great, after conquering the city of Babylon, set a precedent-he freed all slaves to return home.Moreover, he declared people had the right to chose their own religion.The Cyrus cylinder, a clay tablet containing these proclamations, is considered the first human rights declaration in history.
The idea of individual rights spread quickly to India, Greece and eventually Rome. The most impotent milestones since then have include:

1215: THE MAGNA CARTA-establishing new rights and making the king subject to the law.
1628: THE PETITION OF RIGHTS-setting out the rights and liberties o the people opposed to the British crown.
1776: THE UNITED STATES DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE-proclaiming the right of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
1789: THE DECLARATION OF RIGHTS OF MAN AND OF CITIZEN-in France, establishing that all citizens are equal in the eye of law.
1864: THE FIRST GENEVA CONVENTION-SETTING STANDERS OF INTERNATIONAL LAW.
1948: THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS-the first charter proclaiming the thirty rights to which every human being in entitled.