Rhetorical Analysis Of Thomas Jefferson's Declaration Of Independence

Many would say that America was built on the principle that “all men are created equal” and that U.S. citizens are all given equal treatment, opportunities, and so on. But, is that really the case? Was Thomas Jefferson’s famous words, forever inscribed in the Declaration of Independence, meant for everyone? Taking a look back into America’s short (at least when compared to other countries) history, the phrase “all men are created equal” doesn’t really seem to correlate with the circumstances of that century. Africans were enslaved and forced to do hard, strenuous labor or else be forced to endure a beating by the slave master. But don’t forget, all men are created equal. It says so in the constitution. Fast forward a couple of hundred years where all men still aren’t equal, but are close to it.

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.

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 was given the responsibility, by the continental congress, to compose a draft of the declaration. Jefferson took this opportunity to compose one of the greatest testaments in American history. He utilized rhetorical strategies that encouraged and uplifted the colonists. By listing all the acts of tyranny that King George III committed, Jefferson stirred up feelings of anger and disappointment into the colonists. An example from the Declaration of Independence, “He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people”(US 1776). In this quote, Jefferson writes about King George III ruining the lives of American colonists. Jefferson’s goal was to open the eyes of the colonists to fight against King George’s tyranny. Colonists gained inspiration from Jefferson’s work, and they united with one common goal—to gain independence. Though this document was intended to inspire the colonists, it was also written as a formal and official document so that King George III would interpret it in a serious manner. The Second purpose Jefferson had for the Declaration of Independence was to declare America’s independence from Great Britain. Jefferson is speaking directly to King George III of Great Britain when he declares America as an independent new

Americans all over the country pride themselves on the rights and freedoms that their ancestors have fought for. To the American people, freedom is expressed in multiple documents from our history, these including the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The first sentence of the third paragraph of the Declaration of Independence is compelling and inspiring to the American People because of the strong language it uses, the power it gives to the people to make them feel safe and secure, and it makes the people feel like the country truly belongs to them.

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.

Representative, Thomas Jefferson in his statement, The Declaration of Independence, claims it is time for America to become an independent nation. He supports his claim buy describing what he wants the king to do, then listing what the King did to nullify the rights of the colonies. Then he declares the United States Free of British rule, and finally asking the people to join him and asking the king to subjugate the colonies. Jefferson’s purpose is to criticize the king, inform any other people who are reading the document of the Kings faults, and to declare America’s independence. He uses a business-like, formal, and serious tone for speaking to the King, but he knows the king will not be the only person to read his document.

In The Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson, uses ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade the world leaders to let the United States be a free country to break away from the power of the king. In this essay we will see how he used the three from logos stating fact of what the king has done wrong, pathos appealing to the world's emotions with life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and ethos letting the world know that they have the right to question anything about government or whatever they feel like they should question.

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.

In 1776 america colonies were in turmoil. The question on everyone's mind was do we stay loyal to the British Empire or gain their sovereignty. They decided the latter, and on July 6, 1776 the Continental Congress approved Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence. The goal of the declaration of independence was to explain to the world why they felt they need to gain sovereignty. In trying to explain why the colonies had gain their independence from Great Britain Jefferson and the Continental Congress used the rhetorical devices of ethos, pathos, and logos in the Declaration of Independence.

In 1607, Englishmen settled in Jamestown, Virginia, creating the first permanent English settlement in North America. Over a century later, after thirteen strong colonies had been established, the monarchy of Great Britain was still dictating colonial actions. Finally, in 1776, delegates met at the Second Continental Congress and adopted the Declaration of Independence. Although the engrossed copy of the document was supposedly a unanimous decision, Thomas Jefferson was hesitant about signing it. This was because he was the author of the first draft and did not agree with the new wording and diction. Slight changes in word choice and order contributed to the shift in tone and meaning because they caused the first draft to sound more harsh

The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson in order to display how King George III was unfair and cruel to the colonists of Britain. He inputs several rhetorical devices in his argument towards the King and the British Parliament to support his viewpoint as to how the King shows acts of tyranny and is unfit as a ruler. The main devices Jefferson used to refute his opposition were ethos, pathos, and logos. By providing information with each device, Jefferson is able to create a strong argument towards the King, and explain to Parliament how his actions have affected the colonists.

The word “declare” is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as “announcing or expressing something publicly”. On July 4, 1776, Thomas Jefferson, along with the Second Continental Congress, announced the independence of the American colonies from British rule. In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson expresses the humanitarian foundations for an autonomous government due to the tyrannical British king in order to unite the colonists together in their battle for freedom.

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.

In “The Declaration of Independence” Jefferson in enlightening the self-worth of man as individuals which is a new for this time. Jefferson drew a lot of what he wrote from Paine about man and their own self-worth. The revolutionary idea of that man-made government and can abolish it, is not something that is widely recognized at this time. The Monarchs were widely viewed as the solo power of the government and not to be questioned. This new idea of man being in control of its own government was new and outlandish to the common folks but quickly grew in support. I believe that if it wasn’t for this kind of forward thinking that really started build this country into what it is today. We could have easily just formed our own monarchy system