Rhetorical Devices In The Declaration Of Independence

The product of patriotism and diligent acts, a country truly defined by its individuality and unmistakable glory. These few but finest accomplishments were significantly dependent on the document, the one that transformed the true value of what we have become as an independent country: The Declaration of Independence. Many individuals felt a need for change when being governed by the British. Some of these individuals included our Founding Fathers who created this document to make known that the thirteen colonies would fight independently and eradicate being ruled under Great Britain. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson uses allusions, parallelism as well as anaphora to express the struggle and fight for singularity and

By using emotionally charged words, Jefferson’s attitude toward the situation, which is negative, is to be revealed. He lists, “he has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.” The words ‘plundered’, ‘ravaged’, and ‘destroyed’ represent his frustration and anger among the king. It shows his resentment of the British crown and how well the colonists would do without King George III’s authority. Along with connotative diction, the use of parallelism created a rhythm in the text. He says, “…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 of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new government.” This quote clearly demonstrates the emphasis of “government” and “rights”. Jefferson explains how natural, born given rights, should never be violated by anyone, but if it is violated, the people have the right to overthrow the government and replace them with

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.

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.

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

“We seek peace, knowing that peace is the climate of freedom” stated once Dwight D Eisenhower. Thomas Jefferson, the father of our Declaration of Independence, had the same mentality as him in seeking for freedom. Jefferson decided to write this document as a way of declaring the independence of the United States from Britain. In the document, he states all the harm that Britain has done to the colonists: socially, mentally, and economically. Jefferson just like the colonist wanted peace in their lives, and freedom from the tyranny of King George III. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson uses ethos, pathos, and logos in order to justify their reason of separation from Britain.

In this essay, I will prove how Jefferson uses a rhetorical structure in his work to attract his audience about the usurpations of the King of Great Britain (King George III). I feel that Jefferson’s rhetoric is justly what makes the Declaration of Independence so significant because he emotionally draws in his readers by presenting them with a lengthy list of grievances that Great Britain had on the United States colonies. I will then show how Jefferson uses literary terms such as the warrant to state his belief on the conflict with Britain, gives supporting facts (list of grievances) to support his belief, and then makes a claim for independence after his exhausting list of grievances to make a solution to the conflict with the British. By having such an effective rhetorical structure in the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson eventually leads the U.S. colonies to independence from Great Britain.

Thereupon, Jefferson augments the credence of his claim that divine rights should be well protected by producing a counterclaim, indicating that “governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes,” which validates that Britain’s malpractice is indeed substantial and noteworthy enough for his colonial audience to rebel against it. Not only does Jefferson utilize a counterclaim to strengthen his argument, but he also implements aggressive, negative language such as “abuses,” “usurpations,” and “absolute despotism,” to appeal to his comrades, firing them up and rallying them to form a new government. Also maintaining this idea is Jefferson’s statement, “it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government,” in which the repetition of “it is” at the beginning of the clauses gives all readers no doubt that mankind has the right to overthrow any corrupt leadership. This new idea is portrayed when Jefferson states it is necessary “to provide new guards for their future security,” which engenders the reality of a government that protects and provides for its citizens without infringing upon inviolable rights. Lastly, Jefferson reveals his previous indications that he is speaking of the British crown when disclosing that, “such has been the

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.

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.

Thomas Jefferson’s argument for breaking away from the crown of England is detailed in the Declaration of Independence. “But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide

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.

This reluctant conclusion becomes evident when Jefferson states, “ [The colonists] repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury.” (lines 111-112). Furthermore Jefferson lists recent actions of the colonists through saying, “We have warned them...We have reminded them...We have appealed...We have conjured them,” (lines 116-120) to give his audience further evidence to why the United Colonies must and will become “Free and Independent States,” (line 136). States with the “full Power to levy war, conclude Peace, contract alliances, establish Commerce, and do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right to do.” (lines 136-139). As Jefferson comes to his reluctant conclusion he also enhances his

Thomas Jefferson played a key and influential role in the American Revolution by putting his thoughts on paper. Before the Declaration of Independence was imagined, discussed, or signed, Jefferson was publishing works to promote his vision. He unknowingly used the Transformational Leadership and developed a plan that was broken down into three steps. First, in 1774, he published the Summary View of the Rights of British America, which was a pamphlet used to inform the Continental Congress of their standing with the British Crown. The goal of the pamphlet was to intellectually stimulate Colonial leaders and appeal to their emotions. (www.loc.gov, 2014) Jefferson’s saw the inequality in a special way and he wanted the Colonial leaders to fully understand their plight. Step two came a year later in 1775 when Jefferson wrote the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms. (www.loc.gov, 2014) This time Jefferson’s intent was to start a fire within the Colonists and he achieved this through Inspirational Motivation and Idealized Influence. (CF02, FRLD, p. 22, 2012) Finally, Jefferson was able to bring the Colonial leaders on board with revolution and step three was to write the Declaration of Independence and rally the public.