Fallacious Arguments in the Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence is among the most profoundly interpreted and fiercely discussed documents in modern history. Most likely because of its rhetorical style and numerous fallacious arguments that are found. The colonists’ use of persuasion to influence by using repetition to achieve their means. The Declaration of Independence is what 56 colonists saw as a logical course of action. What you must ask yourself is: What was considered logical in 1776? The rhetorical style uses persuasive ideals in the use of language. For example, in the first sentence of the second paragraph, the parallel structure and …show more content…
The primarily fallacious argument is that of general rule, assuming that something is true in general in every possible case. for example, the first sentence in the second paragraph that evokes a partial truth that all men are created equal. When in fact the writers mean that only white land owners were considered equal because they didn’t consider black men to be humans much less women to equal as well. So saying “We hold these truths...” is ironic because it is in fact not true in their minds that all men are created equal. The second fallacious argument, as the Ad Hominem. Which is that of attacking of the person instead of the his argument. This is because the list of grievances in the second part of the document. The redundancy of “He has--” with only judgment from the colonist point of view because of course they are not aware of the the Kings point of view because they are not the King. Therefore, the Ad Hominem is the correct argument in this case due to the attack towards King, not his argument. The affects of the the arguments have both negative and positive outcomes depending on how you perceive them. There is the response of freedom to a “free” nation, and that is what we as Americans celebrate every Forth of July, or there is the ironic way that all Americans are now seen as equal to any other person. Either way you look at
The Declaration of Independence was formed resulting from the treatment of 13 colonies from the British government without representation after subsequent denials to be represented and treated equal. This historic document was revolutionary because it’s what began the transition of our government into a democracy unlike that of parliament in the 1700’s. The British government and their ruling made decisions that didn’t involve what was right for the people; only what was in the best economic interest of parliament. This caused significant hardships on the American colonies which eventually led to them coming together as a people and forming this declaration.
One reason that The Declaration of Independence was so influential was that Thomas Jefferson’s claims against the King of England were easy to understand and logical. Typical complaints include “For quartering large Bodies of Armed Troops among us;” and “For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent.” Jefferson uses plain language that everyone can understand to point out large injustices done by the king. His statements about the King are short and to the point. He does not waste any words or bore the reader with abstract writing or excess words and thoughts. He goes from one point to the next to the next in such a fashion that the reader’s concentration is never broken. His points are logical and everyone living in the colonies at that time and many people around the world probably had some idea of the incidents behind all his grievances against the king. Jefferson raps up the injustices done by the king by declaring the United Colonies to be free and independent states.
The Declaration of Independence is made up of five distinct parts: the introduction, which states that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (McClellan, 2000, p. 183 ), and why the United States should be free from Britain’s rule. The preamble, “that set out principles that were already recognized to be
The Declaration of Independence is one of the most significant documents in the history of the United States. It has completely and forever changed the structure and foundation of our country. The Declaration gave purpose to the Revolutionary war. It was a justified reason to revolt against a government that no longer assured us our rights. It shows that they didn't go to war without
The American Declaration of Independence has affected the foundation of the United States more than any other event or document in American history. The Declaration of Independence was the basis for what the country was established on. The document was a way for the colonists to emancipate themselves from the cruelty of King George. This document had such an impacting effect because it was such a new way of bringing up concerns. It was the first of its kind in the history of America in the aspect of liberation of a group of people.
The Declaration of Independence was written for the purpose of separating the American colonies from the British Empire. In context of history, The Declaration was the first step into a modern representative democracy. In addition, the makers of the declaration, primarily Thomas Jefferson, constructed an argument to state the problems they had with Britain and tell how the new American government was going to deal with the problems. The argument Jefferson constructed was one made with all the wrong evidence; however, he built the argument in such a way to rally a people for war. The Declaration of Independence is a well-written example of argument and persuasion with its use of structure as a whole, use of specific fallacies, and use of appeals.
The Declaration of Independence is one of the most famous documents in the history of the United States of America. It helped the colonists declare independence from Great Britain and King George III. It is one of the documents that has made our country what it is today. Without the Declaration many things would be different. After reading this I hope you are able to see what these great men went through to make America’s founding document.
The Declaration of Independence was written justifying the reasons for revolting against the British rule. It served three purposes, outlining its theory of government, listing complaints, and declaring war. The main complaint was the passage of unfavorable laws in England that affected the colonists yet they were not represented within the English Parliament to air the opinions while such laws were being passed. Though appearing like a logical argument, the British might have viewed it as diluting their power within their own parliament. Another complaint was the King’s role in making it difficult for the Colonists to participate in governance; this might also have been seen as undermining the British power in America and then there was forbidding laws that would have established significant judiciary powers. The King being the supreme source of justice might have viewed it as undermining
The American Declaration of Independence has affected the foundation of the United States more than any other event or document in American history. The Declaration of Independence was the basis for what the country was established on. The document was a way for the colonists to emancipate themselves from the cruelty of King George. This document had such an impacting effect because it was such a new way of bringing up concerns. It was the first of its kind in the history of America in the aspect of liberation of a group of people.
It is to say that the reason some such arguments are more persuasive than others has nothing to do with their value as arguments about freedom, but rather is attributable to the appeal of the substantive cause on behalf of which they are congregated. The southern slave owners who appealed for the freedom to take their slave property into federal territories as a basis for overturning the Missouri Compromise in Dred Scott v. Sandford were not making a theoretically flawed freedom argument. Protection of property rights against government intrusion and insistence upon the limited scope of federal regulatory power are time-honored freedom arguments. The slave-owners claim was abolished in modern eras because it misapplied the concept of freedom, but rather because we no longer regard property in human beings as the sort of freedom that permits protection. Also, white Southerners who criticized Brown v. Board as an invasion of their freedom did not misapprehend the
I find Dr. King’s metaphor of uncashed checks made the comparison very effective because he wanted the federal government to be forced into giving full equality to the colored people. Yes, they were “technically” given equality under the law but the government came up with so many different ways of going around it.
The state of America I believe has upheld the principles of the Declaration of Independence. We do not depend on England. We don’t have a parliamentary form of government. There is no duty that we hold for the King or Queen of England. They no longer impose taxes on us. We can manage trade anywhere in the world. The King can no longer rule America, or cause severe and extensive damage to our towns, and the lives of the people who live.
“We need not prove ourselves equal to Daniel Webster to enjoy this privilege, for the ignorant Irishman in the ditch has all the civil rights he has. We need not prove our muscular power equal to this same Irishman to enjoy this privilege, for the most tiny, weak, ill-shaped stripling of twenty-one has all the civil rights of the Irishman. We have no objection to discuss the question of equality, for we feel that the weight of argument lies wholly with us, but we wish the question of equality kept distinct from the question of rights, for the proof of the one does not determine the truth of the other. All white men in this country have the same rights, however they may differ in mind, body, or estate”. Elizabeth utterly states that they do not need to prove to men that they are as superior and that they deserve to have the same representation as
The Declaration of Independence helped gain our natural rights, our equality, and our freedom everyone deserves in America on July 4th, 1776. For example, “A decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to separation.” (Jefferson, 1) clearly stated that no one can question or sent to jail by our opinions that our opinions count which, is an example of freedom of speech, that an enlightenment thinker named Voltaire believed in. This line allows us Americans say what we want to say without being penalized. The Declaration of
On July 4, 1776, an independent and fervent nation was born. Our Founding Fathers used an overwhelming sense of integrity and determination to fabricate the Declaration of Independence - a historical document that pleads King George III for independence and stresses the importance of freedom, equality, and natural rights. Though the Declaration of Independence signifies the birth of America and represents a powerful landmark in our history, when looked at from a broad spectrum, it can be seen as arrogant, ironic, and controversial. The Declaration states, “ … all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (“The declaration”,