The essence of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, adopted in 1789 during the French Revolution, is the assertion of individual rights and equality before the law. It established fundamental principles of liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression, declaring that these rights are inherent and universal. The Declaration emphasized the importance of popular sovereignty and limited government, underlying the idea that the legitimacy of authority arises from the will of the people. This document influenced later human rights charters and democratic movements worldwide, embodying the revolutionary spirit and aspirations for justice and equality.