Today you will explore the idea of "individual rights." Across time and location, people agree that humans share basic rights and that these rights ought to be protected by governments. Before we venture back into history, let's begin in the twenty-first century with the most basic right of all—freedom. You will view a short film clip that interviews people from all over the world on what it means to be "free."

Begin by reading this: Human Rights

What rights are most important to you?

The most important reason that groups of people form governments is to protect what they value. Typically, individual rights are a society's most valued possession. Laws are created to protect these basic rights. There are many kinds of rights and freedoms—and they sometimes change over time as well as across distances. A person's family background, ethnicity, age, religion, and geographic location can determine the rights a person most values. What rights do you most value? From the list below, click on five individual rights or freedoms you consider most important and drag them into the boxes on the left.

While your list might differ from another student's list, there remain some basic rights that have been cherished across space and time. These basic rights are the foundations of our United States government and continue to influence laws today.