Benjamin Banneker on Slavery in America

My rhetorical analysis is about a free African-American almanac writer, naturalist, and farmer who fought against slavery and who earned the recognition of many high officials of the time, including Thomas Jefferson. As D.L. Chandler pointed out, Benjamin Banneker, wrote to Thomas Jefferson, on August 19, 1791, to condemn the practice of slavery in the United States. Banneker attempted to persuade Thomas Jefferson of his forbearance of slave practices and the fact that he owned slaves yet pronounced

In Benjamin Banneker’s 1791 missive to government officials, the son of former slaves contends against enslavement and servitude of African Americans. Banneker critiques those who support slavery and defends this with specific documentation from the Constitution. Banneker’s purpose is to prove the fundamental rights of African Americans in order to demolish slavery in the United States. He writes this forceful but respectful letter to Thomas Jefferson in order to prove this unconstitutional act.

construct created during America’s Colonial period. It was supposedly used to negatively describe an African-American men who spoke out against what they considered to be an incongruous and xenophobic society and more specifically the institution of slavery. The phrase’s essence had been intentionally misconstrued. The three words together were said to have been used by whites as a dismissive tool; a method of sabotaging the validity of an outspoken Black man’s claims of an unjust and oppressive system

The quote delivered by the passionate and determined Benjamin Banneker states, “The present freedom and tranquility which you enjoy you have mercifully received and that it is the peculiar blessing of Heaven” (Banneker 10). As young man of parents who were both treated unfairly and living under the gates of slavery, Banneker expresses how those with freedom take it for granted and don’t realize what a blessing it truly is. He wants all slaves or people who are treated poorly to enjoy life of freedom

for two centuries in America. Those trafficked by white people became slaves sold in auditions were strained and were commonly abused by their masters. Slaves were compelled to perform vigorous labor everyday for seven years in hope for a day that their master will release them. Benjamin Banneker was a son of a former slave who had wrote a letter to ex-US Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson in hope for Jefferson to take role in part of abrogating enslavement. Although Banneker was born as a free man

Benjamin Banneker was an African American man who was not enslaved, but was the son of former slaves. He writes to Thomas Jefferson on the unequal rights of African Americans and slaves, and it turned out to be very influential and well known today. In Benjamin Banneker’s essay, he tries to persuade Thomas Jefferson that African Americans are treated as unequal by the American people which is contradictory to what the nation stands for by using the rhetorical devices of hortative diction, allusion

When Banneker was 22, he borrowed a pocket watch from a neighbor, took it apart, drew a picture of each component, put it back together, and then returned it. Banneker then proceeded to carve, out of wood, enlarged replicas of each part. Figuring out the proper number of teeth for each gear and the necessary relationships between the gears, he made a working wooden clock that kept accurate time and struck the hours for over 40 years until it was destroyed in a house fire. Soon after he made his

Son of former Slaves and author, Benjamin Banneker in his letter, defines the disabilities that African-American slaves have to face and compares it to the Caucasian struggles. In 1790 America, slavery still existed, with no rights or liberties for these slaves. The majority served on plantations, but others served as craft-workers or servants. Banneker's purpose is to prove that slavery is a violation and is hypocritical in a land that preaches "liberty" and "freedom to all men". He adopts an antagonizing

history, Thomas Jefferson conceived, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” (Banneker 21). This quote originates from the Declaration of Independence, which was initially constructed to speak to foreign nations about the prevalent problem occurring in the colonies. At the time, the thirteen colonies were extremely afflicted being

poor, and mistreated. That was the complete opposite of Benjamin Banneker, a fearless man and the son of former slaves. In 1791, this well-educated man wrote to the most important man at the time, Thomas Jefferson, the framer of the Declaration of Independence and secretary of state to President George Washington. The letter Banneker wrote to Jefferson contained rhetorical strategies to argue against slavery. The first rhetorical strategy Banneker used was quoting Jefferson’s own words from the Declaration