Declaration Of Independence Rhetorical Analysis

According to the Declaration of Independence, signed in 1776, "[...] all men are created equal, [and] they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." One would then expect that every man, would be entitled to their freedom, and it was true, for all white men. African-Americans, however, faced a very different reality. They were still forced into slavery, they were deprived of those rights that all men were meant to have. While the north states opposed slavery, it was permitted in the south, and as the slavery issue raged on, one man would stand to fight for his freedom. His case, would go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court's decision would

In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers of the United States, explains to his readers why the colonies chose to abolish Great Britain’s government. His goal is to inform the readers that the government has certain responsibilities to the governed and that the British failed to adhere to its responsibilities to its colonists. His second goal is to justify their actions by explaining why it was not considered treason. By establishing his credibility and appealing to ethos, pathos and logos, Jefferson successfully wrote an informative, impactful, and inspirational document.

The physicality of an individual can endure many trials, but the resilience of the soul can overcome the greatest obstacles. The hearts of many American colonists grew weary as they continued their path of adversity for independence. The American colonists faced the toughest battles toward the end of the 18th century, where they experienced physical hardships and faintness of their soul. To overcome British tyranny, the deteriorating colonies needed to unite with one internal desire. The Declaration of Independence consisted of many key components that gave the colonists reason to join arms and fight for their independence.

Although the Declaration of Independence stated that “All men are created equal,” the U.S Constitution denied minorities basic human rights, such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. With this, the line had been drawn. Skin color had now become the definite indicator of how race would be defined in future American society.

1B) The Declaration of Independence uses several rhetorical strategies, making the argumentative testament of the wrongdoings of the king an effective in pursuing equality for all men. Jefferson utilizes logos, pathos and ethos to prove his point to the country holding their liberty prisoner. Jefferson’s use of logos begins with stating the obvious reason the king should set the people free: the people have the right to the pursuit of “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” (2). The King has not done good to the people, in fact he has refused to pass the laws necessary to create order, dissolved representative houses, cut off trade, and imposed unlawful taxes upon the people. They have the basic human rights given to them by God that should set them free from the tyrannical king. Some of the emotional side of Jefferson’s views slip into this argument, such as "mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable" (5). While stating further wrongdoings, Jefferson’s use of pathos increases, raising the rage of the republic at the injustice of the rules they have been subjected to. “He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation” (26). Jefferson calls for a sense of empathy from the crown and establishes a sense of severe discontent

Composed by Thomas Jefferson and the representatives in the general congress on the historic date of July 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was an expeditious response to the many acts legalized by the British Parliament prohibiting the colonists’ freedom, and a dismissal of a partition to the King by the First Continental Congress. Not only did it oppose British acts of tyranny, but it was also an incentive for many other universal revolutions. Within Jefferson’s argumentative masterpiece, “The Declaration of Independence,” he both condemns the British for their repressive actions, and appeals to all developed countries, although predominantly to both the cruel

The theme of the passage is that everyone is equal. "We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal: that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights"(Jefferson 8-10). The author want the readers to know that everyone is created equal and if anyone tries to take his or her rights he or she should fight for it. The author persuasive the readers by listing how unfair the government is. "He has made judges dependent on his will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries; He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of offices to harass our people and eat out their substance"(Jefferson 59-62). “A prince whose character is this marked by

You know of the Declaration of Independence, but you have probably not heard of the “Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions”. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson first justifies how it is the right of the people to overthrow a government that has failed, then lists how the King of Great Britain is guilty of multiple abuses against the colonies, then explains how the colonies were ignored after trying to reach a compromise, and finally he executes his plan on how the colonies are now a new nation that has no relation with Great Britain whatsoever. In “The Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions” Elizabeth Cady Stanton highlights the problem of women being oppressed by men by addressing not only the delegates at the particular convention, but men and women all over the United States about the harsh reality of women’s roles dictated by men in the hope of receiving equal rights for both men and women. Both are written in similar manners, but the use of pathos, allusion, and tone allow the two pieces to achieve different purposes.

In the Declaration of Independence it states that all men are created equal and are born with certain unalienable rights, however, this phrase is the least understood and most abused in America. In the past, most American communities were discriminated against based on their race specifically African-Americans and is still continuing today. Even after the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, many Americans failed to realize what ‘all men are created equally’ means. When the 13th amendment was created in 1865, it abolished slavery and involuntary servitude unless a punishment for crime. Although the 13th amendment did in fact abolished slavery, it still continued to demonstrate racial injustice to African-Americans which is morally wrong due to racial segregation ,racial tensions, and mass incarceration.

For Howard Zinn, the Declaration of Independence seemed, abnormal. He is convinced that the Declaration was written for selfish reasons. He observes that the upper-class needs to induce the lower class. “It seemed clear to the educated, upper-class colonists that something needed to be done to persuade the lower class to join the revolutionary cause, to direct anger against England.” Alternatively, Bernard Bailyn has a disparate interpretation. Bailyn is convinced that the Declaration is written for ideological reasons. “The Declaration of Independence represents the colonists’ deepest fears and beliefs.” Quite frankly, they are both correct.

In The Declaration of Independence there are multiples examples of rhetoric. Many of these examples are hard to find and at the same time there are some that are very easily noticed. Thomas Jefferson as well as Congress wrote the Declaration of Independence in a time of tension. The Declaration was written in order to persuade the king as well as loyalists to the king that they should have unalienable rights. He accomplished this persuasion while being passive aggressive at the same time.

In 1776, The Declaration of Independence was written by one of the superior writers in that time, Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration of Independence clearly stated that the colonies became an independent nation. By declaring independence, many men were inspired to fight for the cause, but also angered those who were left out of the rights. The words, “All men are created equal,” caused antagonism and annoyance throughout the colonies to those who did not fall in the social class of white men in the age of 21 and owned property. Source B refers to the letter written by Abigail Adams to John Adams about establishing rights for women. On the other hand, Source C is a Slave Petition that mentions the results of slavery and their little known rights.

This part of the Declaration of Independence is one of the most important parts, aside from the preamble. It declares the importance of stating why the colonies must separate from Britain. The colonist believed that all men are created equally, and therefore have equal rights. The Declaration states that the United States has had enough suffering under tyranny, and that the colonies have the right to separate themselves from the bad government and form their own.

The Declaration of Independence (1776), written by only educated white men – Thomas Jefferson (Southern Colony), Benjamin Franklin (Middle Colony), and John Adams (Northern Colony) - established the basic rights that citizens were entitled to in a free country. However, this document contradicted the Constitution’s claim that all men were created equal, particularly in racial and gender identifiers such as slaves, Native Americans, and women. Slaves were essential in the economic development of the South. Most southerners considered slaves as property, only three-fifths of a man, and as a result, equality for

Additionally, the Declaration of Independence called for the equality of all men in society. For example, the document states that “all men are created equal.” Jefferson, however, truly meant that all free, property-owning white males are created equal. Therefore, the institution of slavery demonstrates how African American slaves were not included in this statement. In Frederick Douglass’s Rochester speech, he asked whether political freedom and natural justice embodied in the Constitution extended to African slaves. Of course the words of the document did not extend to African Americans, which is clearly depicted through the Slave Codes. Only white male landowners could truly take part in the democratic government and African slaves were perceived as property. Obviously, the ideal that all men are created equal was not true as slaves were unable to vote, own property, or bear arms. Additionally, enslaved Africans were subject to legal imbalance and if they were accused of a crime, they would almost always be put to death. Several more Slave Codes included travel restrictions, ownership of