On July 4th every year, Americans all across the world celebrate Independence Day, the day the United States declared their independence from Great Britain. The mechanism they used on July 4, 1776 was “The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States” written by Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration Of Independence was a success by using various types of support, ethos (ethic), pathos (emotion) and logos (logic). The first paragraph lays the logic (logos) behind people separating from their government in a way that grabs the reader’s attention. He makes no mention of a specific people or country, so the opening paragraph does a wonderful job grabbing someone’s attention. By appealing to the human desire to be free by referring to …show more content…
Mr. Jefferson uses “we”, “us”, “they” and “he” to make his message personal. In the paragraph following the list of grievances, Thomas Jefferson explains they have argued against the grievances but their “repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury”. Instead of referring to the government as the king, he refers to him as the “Prince” who “is unfit to be the ruler of a free people” which lends more emotional support to the document (Jefferson). Next Thomas Jefferson unleashes strong emotions towards the colonists loyal to Great Britain saying, “They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity”. Those who are loyal to Britain are therefore enemies and represent the tyranny “The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen States of America” is announcing separation from. There is also some logic Thomas Jefferson uses in the paragraph to support the emotions he creates. Jefferson listed oppressions earlier in the document and concludes that they, those loyal to Britain, have no desire to stand by those declaring their independence, therefore those loyal to the King will be treated the same as Great Britain. Finally Thomas Jefferson closes the declaration with a powerful paragraph that calls for action in an emotional way and is effective because of the ethics and logic used earlier in the document. The supported emotion helps Thomas Jefferson appeal “to the supreme Judge of the World” stating the purpose
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
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 drafted by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Second Continental Congress expresses the thirteen American colonies desire to disjoin from Great Britain. Chapter 4 of “After the Fact,” entitled Declaring Independence, presents factual viewpoints of historians as well as thorough examinations aroused from the possible confusions of the renowned document.
The list of grievances strongly appeals to his audience’s emotions. Jefferson utilizes a powerful, emotional diction to implement the colonists’ sentiments toward the King’s character into his writing. He uses certain words such as tyrants, invasions, murders, abdicated, death, desolation, cruelty, barbarous, and destruction. These words make the audience establish a sympathetic feeling towards the colonists and that the King is “totally unworthy [to be] the Head of a civilized nation” and “unfit to be the ruler of a free people.” Jefferson emphatically proves the injustice and brutality of the King and Parliament.
In his document, The Declaration of Independence (1776), Jefferson and the representatives in the general congress proclaim that because all men possess unalienable rights, and due to the transgressions committed by the repressive British King against the people of the 13 colonies, the colonists should be entitled to dissolve all allegiance to the crown of Great Britain, and engender a new nation that “[has] full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do”(4). Jefferson supports this proclamation by enumerating the rights of people when both facing and not facing a corrupt government, distinguishing the copious actions of King George
This document announced to the world the separation of the thirteen colonies, provided a list of charges against Kind George III that justified the actions of the thirteen colonies, as well as a preamble that summarizes the fundamental principles of American self-governance – the right to liberty, equality, and the pursuit of happiness. There are a total of 28 paragraphs stating the grievances committed by King George III, which are mostly based on the English laws that were violated during the Revolutionary war, and which were supposed to be guaranteed to all Englishmen, including the colonies. These grievances will directly reflect on the U.S Bill of Rights, creating a document which would forbid such actions from taking place
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 the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson exposes the British King of his tyrannical antics toward the colonies to his readers.
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
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, the author and American founding father declares to the colonists their separation from Great Britain. The Declaration was published on July 4, 1776 by the Second Continental Congress in response to King George the III abuses and grievances to the thirteen colonies. Jefferson uses of loaded language, ethos, and pathos in order to strengthen and clarify his position to the colonists.
He writes, “We hold these truths to be self evident, 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.”(Paragraph 2) Jefferson said that all the people of america will have every right to have happiness, fair trials and have the right to live a happy long life. He also says that everyone is created equal we have all rights by our creator. He also says,” but when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism.”( Paragraph 2) the king has abused his power on the throne and is unfair doesn’t see people as equal but he sees himself on top only caring for himself. In the quote jefferson says usurpations which means taking someone's power which he’s saying that the king has treated us bad long enough let’s make a country that amazing. Jefferson states, “In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms, our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury.”( Paragraph 30) Jefferson and many other leaders of america has sent new ideas they would like to have to the king and he returned with war. The king was upset that they wanted to break away from his
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
Jefferson began the document by explaining that the rights of the Americans had been brutally molested by the unjust King of Britain. Following this accusation, he provided evidence of this abuse by listing not just a mere handful, but 27 grievances that the King had inflicted against the colonies. Lastly, the conclusion of this article publishes and declares that the United Colonies have the right to be freed from the British and that they have the right to govern themselves as any free country does. The strategic organization of the Declaration of Independence allowed the colonies to be powerfully represented by such a clear and prudently worded
In the beginning of the letter he starts with an introduction. In the introduction he has two long sentences that have a beginning, middle, and end. The document starts with describing and explaining why the colonies have decided to be a separate nation. In the second sentence he defines what it means to be a human being. Jefferson mentions five “self-evident” truths, those truths are “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, 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