Preview

United States Declaration of Independence and Jefferson

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
261 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
United States Declaration of Independence and Jefferson
In 1791, Benjamin Banneker wrote to Thomas Jefferson to argue against slavery. Benjamin, being the son of former slaves, wanted to express his feelings toward slavery thoroughly. Banneker uses various significant rhetorical strategies to reveal his opposition to slavery. Rhetorical strategies used by Banneker are repetition, the rhetorical triangle, and allusions. Thomas Jefferson was the framer of the Declaration of Independence and secretary of state to President George Washington. Banneker uses repetition to emphasis the authority he holds toward Jefferson. Throughout his letter, Banneker refers to Jefferson as “sir.” The repetition of “sir” enables Jefferson to sense respect from Banneker. Throughout his letter, Banneker uses allusions in his letter to bring back some of Jefferson’s memories. In line 21 an allusion towards something Jefferson himself wrote. He argues that, in the Declaration of Independence, it states that “all men are created equal” and that he is contradicting himself by not doing anything to abolish slavery. In lines 48-50, Banneker uses an allusion from the Bible. He quotes Job to form an analogy as to what Jefferson should do. Like Job, Jefferson must put his soul in the souls of others. Banneker wanted to make Jefferson realize what the slaves are going through. Banneker uses the rhetorical triangle to appeal to Jefferson’s senses. Pathos is used in line 20 to appeal to Jefferson’s emotions. Banneker praises Jefferson for his doctrine by writing that it “is worthy to be recorded and remembered in all succeeding age.” Logos is used in line 45 to appeal to Jefferson’s logic. Banneker appeals to logic

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Firstly, Banneker starts off his letter by creating an emotional appeal, recalling the time when....He reminisces about the time when the Great Britain oppressed them by violating their rights. He asks Jefferson to reflect on the American Revolution, and thinks about the slaves. Banneker states that the slaves feel the same oppression as he did when the Great Britain took away their freedom. He indicates that the colonists felt like slaves to Britain, reminding their hostility and frustration toward the mother country. He recalls this specific time for Jefferson to…

    • 211 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Thomas Jefferson is known as the writer of the Declaration of Independence, written in the year of 1776. The Declaration of Independence was a statement of the colonists’ freedom from the rule of the British monarchy. In the Declaration, Jefferson listed the inalienable rights, which were life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The inalienable rights were the rights that were naturally given to man, and the British monarchy could not take them away. The key arguments that Thomas Jefferson made in favor of the separation of the colonies from Great Britain were that the King raised the amount of the quartering of the troops, he protected his people from a trial by having them tried in Britain, he cut off the trade of the colonists with all…

    • 364 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Banneker uses a couple allusions to help persuade Jefferson to rethink slavery in the states. Mr. Banneker alludes to the Declaration of Independence…

    • 334 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Jefferson wanted the abolishment of slavery but once they were abolished he wanted to be rid of them so they wouldn't taint the purity of white American race.…

    • 392 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Banneker calls Jefferson “sir” multiple times to show him that he respects his opinions and his status as a person. This, in turn, will make Jefferson more open-minded about his argument and take his words into consideration without Jefferson getting too offended by Banneker’s words. Banneker also uses modest language such as “I entreat you” and “suffer me” that will not cause Jefferson to become defensive or completely reject the points of his argument. Benjamin Banneker also proves his respect for Jefferson by validating that he did something good and he gives Jefferson an opportunity to reflect on why he tried to make the lives of the enslaved people better in the first place: “you clearly saw the injustice of slavery which you had just apprehensions of the horrors of its condition, that you publickly held forth this true and valuable doctrine” (15-20). This particular diction proves to Jefferson that Banneker views him as a leader and someone of high status, but also shows him that they are all human beings and everyone deserve the same treatment. He uses certain phrases like “groaning captivity and cruel oppression” so that Jefferson can understand how slaves are treated and the horrors that they experience daily, proving his point that the treatment of slaves is unjust and abhorrent…

    • 884 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    APUSH chapter 10 DBQ

    • 871 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The 13th amendment to the US constitution, passed in 1865, made slavery illegal in any state. However, it did not give slaves citizenship rights. Whites still felt that they held more power and made discriminatory laws against african americans. For example, a group of free blacks got together in South Carolina and wrote a petition to the Legislature asking for an end to the discriminatory laws. The document shows how the blacks were debarred of their rights to have a jury and give testimony on their own behalf. It also shows that slaves have been considered free citizens of the state and they should be treated that way(Document D). Another example of African American inequality can be shown in Benjamin Bannenker’s letter to Thomas Jefferson regarding the institution of slavery. In summary, Bannenker is showing the contradiction between wanting to break away from the tyrant of the British, and allowing slavery in the US. He quoted the Declaration of Independence by saying that Jefferson wrote we all have unalienable rights, but these rights aren’t being upheld with the institution of slavery and discrimination against blacks(Document C). Although…

    • 871 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Benjamin Banneker Excerpt

    • 777 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Declaration of Independence, a well-respected document responsible for seceding the United States of America from the oppressive Great Britain, had a false allegation written in it: that all men were created equal and endowed with unalienable rights. The only men who proved to be equal in the eyes of society were the property owning white men, and slaves, after some of them having had helped their American allies achieve freedom, were once again subjugated to the cruel tendencies of their owners. There have been several opinions about its constitutional fairness and Benjamin Banneker—the son of former slaves and a highly intellectual individual—wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson that was designed to poke at his façade of his hypocritical view on what free men were by utilizing several religious appeals, an array of comparative allusions, and repetition of respectful notions.…

    • 777 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Benjamin Banneker's ethos was brought out in the diction of this letter; his intelligent word choices showed that he was well educated and that he knows what he is talking about. Other indications of Mr. Banneker's character are seen when he quotes the Declaration of Independence and the Bible. The citing of the Declaration also contributes to…

    • 387 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Shadow of Hate

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages

    I found alarming how Thomas Jefferson, one of our nation’s own Founding Fathers and the principal writer of the Declaration of Independence, owned slaves and wrote how the blacks were “inferior to the whites”. The man who wrote “All men are created equal”, was the man who lived by exactly the opposite of his own words.…

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Banneker's tone in this passage was elevated, formal, and sympathetic. He used an elevated tone in order to appeal to the higher-class society and educated patriots, such as Thomas Jefferson. Banneker uses elevated diction such as "fortitude," "abhorrence thereof," "thus," and "brethren" to seem educated and civilized and to set a formal tone. He begins many of his phrases with the word "sir" which was intended to demonstrate his submission to authority. He uses abstract diction to vivify the true horrors and tribulations…

    • 511 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    constant repetition of the anaphora becomes more and more serious until Jefferson declares, “We must,…

    • 550 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    “Black men are pests”. He is saying that Black people are incapable of being as…

    • 284 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    A Call for Independence

    • 712 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence for the American colonists to proclaim freedom from Great Britain's oppressor, King George III. American colonists had been suffering for many years when this important document was drafted. King George III had pushed the colonists into a state of tyranny and most decided it was time to start an independent nation under a different type of government. Jefferson focused his piece toward many audiences. He wanted not only King George III and the British Parliament to know the American's feelings, but also the entire world. The time had come for an immense change amongst the American colonists and Jefferson made sure everyone was aware of it by using his superior strategies of persuasion.…

    • 712 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As the letter moves forth, Banneker continues using complex diction, but his tone changes to when he uses words such as “apprehensions” and “horrors” to describe the time of sorrow and pain of the Revolutionary War. Further into the passage Banneker changes his formal and sympathetic diction when he starts using phrases like “detaining fraud”, “groaning captivity” and “cruel oppression” to show and describe the gruesome acts and the horrifying days of segregation and slavery. Furthermore, he begins many of his phrases with the word “sir” which was intended to demonstrate his submission as respect to authority. However, the last paragraph of the letter shows a sense of sarcasm as if to say that Jefferson does not deserve the respect due to his immoral actions of…

    • 652 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    One rhetorical device Banneker uses is repetition. Throughout the letter Banneker creates a respectful appeal towards Jefferson, by repeatedly calling him "sir". The establishment of the repetitive notion emphasizes that, admittedly Banneker does not agree with Thomas Jefferson's ideology, he still holds the utmost respect for him. The use of…

    • 231 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays