How Does Thomas Jefferson Use Ethos In The Declaration Of Independence

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.

He believed that it was time for America to break away from Britain’s rule and become its own nation, which could govern itself. To do this, though, it was necessary to write some sort of document which would state to the world the basic beliefs on which the nation’s new government would be built. This document was the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson felt that Britain was doing nothing but hurting America with unfair rules and all sorts of ridiculous taxes. The colonies and colonists had no rights in determining the very laws which dictated the way they led their lives. The Declaration of Independence was a formal document stating that the people of America were breaking away from Britain and that the American colonies were now “Free and Independent States.”

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

As a reader, I found this sentence very powerful, and I’m sure when it was written, it was even more so, seeing as the writers/readers were the ones experiencing the suffering. Another place that Jefferson appealed to pathos was in the last sentence. He says, “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” By showing how much everyone is willing to sacrifice (lives, fortunes, and honor), it illustrates the amount of heart and passion that went into this document. Logos of the document: Logic/reason The entire first paragraph is telling the readers why this declaration of independence needs to made in the first place. He states that there is a time when a society needs to break away from its past leader (Britain) and rely on the powers of God and the earth to create a new community. He is using logic to help his readers understand the meaning of this document. He continues to use logos in explaining why this declaration is important as he explains that it will “secure these rights,” which pertain to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Another time, logos is used in the declaration is when Jefferson is addressing all the wrongs the King of Britain did, and he lists them. He presents his evidence very

Thomas Jefferson’s mastery in writing is made evident throughout The Declaration of Independence. Through his use of rhetorical styles, he makes a clear and logical case for why it is necessary for the colonies to declare their independence. Jefferson achieves this power through the structuring of this document using Aristotle’s modes of argument, and by using the specific use of diction, imagery, and syntax. Aristotle’s three modes of argument are used to create the power the Declaration of Independence needed. According to European-Rhetoric.com, Aristotle’s three modes of argument are ethos, pathos, and logos.

Overall, the Declaration of Independence, is more effective at achieving its purpose because of its superior use of appeals and more effective closing than the Declaration of Sentiments. The goal of both declarations, was in part to draw followers to their respective causes. In the case of the Declaration of Independence, the document uses all three types of appeals but relies more heavily on logos and pathos to coax colonists into joining their cause. Jefferson layers logos and ethos together to increase their effect: “That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive to these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it.” In this instance Jefferson provides an extremely logical path for the reader to follow, governments are instituted to protect the rights of the people, and if they are not doing this, then the people must do something about it.

On July 4, 1776, the thirteen colonies of the United States unanimously agreed upon a Declaration of Independence to free themselves of Britain’s tyrannical grasp. This Declaration, authored by Thomas Jefferson, had one sole purpose: to declare the colonies as independent from Britain. To do this successfully, Jefferson skillfully utilized multiple aspects of rhetoric to convey his message. Among the many aspects he uses, the most prominent are his use of tone and pathos, logos and ethos, and makes many stylistic choices throughout the document.

The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson to express the ideals of the colonists and the desire to have their own government built on democratic ideals. The Declaration of Independence was written because the country needed to clarify and justify the actions during The Second Continental Congress, which was to assume the powers of an official government. Jefferson develops a dramatic tone to convey to his readers that the country was not seen as a unified country without the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence used different rhetorical devices, but the main five devices are anaphora, parallelism, tone, ethos, and logos.

The Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson calls for the separation of the American colonies from British rule and King George III. Jefferson’s purpose is to justify his acts and declare the colonies independent from the British rule.He is able to achieve his purpose through the use of ethos and logos.

When looking at the Declaration of Independence and the justifications which Jefferson used in order to encourage the dissolve of the ties between the United Colonies and Great Britain, it becomes apparent how much of the theories of John Locke that Jefferson used as the basis for his argument. Focusing particularly on the second paragraph of the Declaration, the arguments for the equality of each man and the formation and destruction of governments come almost directly from Locke's Second Treatise of Government. The other arguments in the Declaration of Independence deal primarily with each citizen's rights and the natural freedoms of all men, two areas that Locke also spent

The vehement passion for freedom from the King is one flame that is strenuously extinguished. Thomas Jefferson carefully used his talent in literature to intensify, and publicate the desire for independence from the King in a document titled the Declaration of Independence. July 4th, 1776 marked a salient day in history for all Americans, when our freedom was finally given to us, and we were emancipated from Britain once and for all. The Declaration of Independence emphasizes why The United States of America separated from Britain through the Preamble, Declaration of Natural Rights, Grievances, and the Attempts to Address Grievances.

Jefferson’s reasoning for the colonies’ independence illustrates the colonies’ desire as a whole for freedom from British rule. He directly stated that the colonies should free; this wasn’t merely a subsequent recrimination due to Great Britain’s actions; this was another step towards reaching the goal of

Thomas Jefferson wanted the US to be an independent country. He wrote the Declaration of Independence to separate the United States from Great Britain (Jefferson 5). The document is one of the three that America was founded on. While Jefferson was the third president of America he was a great leader. The Declaration of Independence says to honor each other. Jefferson says, “We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor” (Jefferson 5). Jefferson wanted people to accept each other and show respect. He worked hard to write the document and people knew that about him. Thomas Jefferson was a smart Aristocrat. He read and studied lots of books when he was young and went to college (Jefferson 2). He wanted to further his education at William and Mary college to study law for five years. He encouraged other people to also go to college. Overall, Jefferson was known for to working hard and doing what he believed

In Thomas Jefferson's last letter, Jefferson recalled that the Declaration of Independence was not simply an American document written for the benefit of Americans. Rather, it was meant to produce a revolution in the opinions of mankind as a whole, by challenging the belief held back then that people must simply accept kings, aristocrats, or unelected officials as its rulers. Jefferson says, “the signal of arousing men to burst the chains under which monkish ignorance and superstition had persuaded them to bind themselves, and to assume the blessings and security of self-government.” (The Last Letter, 1826) This quote shows Jefferson's desire for self-government and his hope that America would not

History can be defined as a series of events directed by powerful individuals whose deep-seated actions ultimately transformed and transcribed the world. During the 18th Century, America was struggling with becoming independent from Europe as well as becoming established as a strong country. During these times, the British Monarchy was out of the question as many sought the opportunity to contribute to the greatness of America. Thomas Jefferson was one of the key historical figures of this period and although admired for his early contributions, had several character flaws often overlooked today. The founding father had a hypocritical nature which was opposite of the perceived upstanding citizen he was accredited to be.