Ronald Reagan

“ The Universal Declaration, like our own Bill of Rights, starts from the premises that civil liberties and political freedom are the birthright of all mankind and that all of us are equal in the eyes of the law. Like our own Declaration of Independence, it also makes the inescapable connection between freedom, human rights, and government by the consent of the governed. ”

“ Urging adoption of the Universal Declaration, then-Secretary of State George C. Marshall told the United Nations that "denials of basic human rights lie at the root of most of our troubles .... Governments which systematically disregard the rights of their own people," he said, "are not likely to respect the rights of other nations and other people." He called for adoption of the Universal Declaration as "a standard of conduct for us all." ”

“ Nevertheless, many individuals and nations do not enjoy the rights enumerated in our Constitution and in the Universal Declaration. Some governments voice ringing guarantees but fall far short in practice. Some, such as Communist regimes, wrongly subordinate fundamental rights to other goals. These goals are often defined by political groups or parties that claim to know what is best for the individual and for peoples subject to their control. Fundamental goals-free elections and due process-are concepts not welcomed by dictators of any ideological or political stripe. ”