Rhetorical Devices 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.

The purpose is to outline the wrongs the King of Britain and Britain have committed against the colonists, and why this has caused them to want to separate from Britain. The article is written directly for King George III, but it was also for the country of Britain and the thirteen colonies to read, as well as the world to see the separation of the colonies from Britain. The tone is clear and rational, yet it is evident that Jefferson is passionate about what he is saying. The speaker is Thomas Jefferson, who was Secretary of State for George Washington at the time, but went on to become the President of the United States.

He refers to the principles voiced by the nation's founders in his appeal for racial equality. This strategy was especially important in light of the fact that the government was concerned that the Civil Rights movement might discredit the United States abroad. The government was worried that if they gave African-Americans freedom, the United States would be seen as weak and have been persecuting innocent people. Hence, it was perceptive of King to imply in the speech that he is not undermining the United States, but asking the country to do justice to the principles that were asserted to be the backbone of U.S. politics and society. King states, for example, that his dream was "deeply rooted in the American dream," (King 2) and that he dreams of a day when Americans "will be able to sing with new meaning `My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing'" (King 3). King then uses the words of that song to distinguish the different areas of the country where he hoped the United States would soon "let freedom ring" (King 3) for all its citizens. King alludes to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution as being a "promissory note" (King 1) to all citizens, which those at the march were claiming as their inheritance. The speech gains power from King's stressing that he was asking the United States to live up to its principles and thus to fulfill the greatness of its pronounced creed.

Solutions to the injustices are clear and evident in the passages; leaving the British government for The Declaration of Independence and the solution for the speech was to overthrow the systematic racism prevalent in America through unity. Even though the urgency for riding the American people of the injustices is shared, the solutions are polar opposites. In The Declaration of Independence, the author calls for a separation of the colonies from the British government. They feel that it is an outsiders fault for the problems at hand. The same cannot be said of the “I Have a Dream” speech. In the passages of the passionate speech Dr. King calls for action, not against people, against the systems that are oppressing the citizens of the United

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

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.

The Declaration of Independence -- the first discourse of a united America -- documents the atrocities committed by the tyrant, King George. The document not only reflects the ideas and feelings of its authors, but also represents the first example of the American Spirit -- comprised of civil liberties and self-determination. The authors’ divisive rhetoric puts more distance between their views and King George’s policy than the Atlantic Ocean that separates them. With every word, the authors advocate for a rebellion that would put an end to a government where they are voiceless. The document provides probable cause for every American to declare war on the harsh limitations imposed by the British Crown.

In 1776 America’s founding fathers decided to separate from their mother country, Great Britain, and live as independent states. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson writes that the “United colonies...ought to be free and Independent States,” (lines 131-133) after they have undergone a long string of abuses by King George. As he writes the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson’s purpose is to give reason to the colonists, the King and the foreign worldly powers of why the colonists feel the need to separate themselves from Great Britain. In the Declaration Jefferson faces the challenge of persuading his audience that the colonists need to dissolve from Great Britain, he overcomes this by using rhetorical devices to convince the audience that the colonists have certain rights the British are not protecting, the colonists have long been abused by King George and the colonists have tried to reason with the British, but they need to become independent states.

Works from The Age of Reason are often very logical and persuasive, appealing more to logic and reason than emotions. "The Declaration of Independence", delivered by Thomas Jefferson, was written during this period of time to inform Britain and other countries that the colonies were breaking away from British rule. "The Declaration of Independence" is a document from The Age of Reason which can be shown through the use of persuasiveness, logical appeal and argumentative points.

In Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence he uses focal points to help people perceive his document. By showing the failure of the British Crown and demonstrating the rights of the citizens Jefferson is able to get his audience to understand his message clearly. He also uses ethos, pathos, and logos to improve his writing. Thomas Jefferson’s argument was effective in the separation from Great Britain, because he focuses on the failure of the British Crown and the rights of the colonial citizens; through egos, pathos, and logos.

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

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.

On July 4, 1776, in Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson wrote a declaration of the colonies’ independence and separation from England. To approve or deny the “Declaration of Independence” is presented to the Second Continental Congress. Jefferson declares that the colonists deserve “unalienable rights” and that the colonists should be able to “throw off” any government that displays “absolute tyranny.” This document leads the way for the formation of the new “independent states”, where colonists can find “their safety and happiness.” Therefore, Jefferson persuades the colonists to join him in the separation from Britain to claim their rights and accuses King George as a tyrant.

Thomas Jefferson uses rhetorical features to write an effective argument in “The Declaration of Independence,” by using diction to convey a tone and by using repetition. The rhetorical features help hima have an emotional impact on the audience and to really enforce the idea he is trying to convey to the colonists. For instance, in the text Thomas Jefferson states how the King of Great Britain”sent..officers to harrass our people”(61-62). This evidence demonstrates how erroneously the king treated the colonists. The word “harras” shows that the king really damaged the colonists both physically and emotionally. The king let the guards go inside peoples homes and take their food. Most colonists were not wealthy and could barely make it through

In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson used several rhetoric devices to plead to King George III that the colonies had no other choice than to claim their independence. Jefferson used pathos, logos, ethos, deductive reasoning, diction and parrallelism throughout the document in order to justify the decision of the people.