Thomas Jefferson's Rhetorical Analysis: The Declaration Of Independence

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Pages: 5
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Mansi Shah
Janet Sutton
English 102
17th February, 2016
Rhetorical Analysis – The Declaration of Independence
By writing “The Declaration of Independence”, on 4th July 1776, Thomas Jefferson successfully called for a right to freedom of the 13 American colonies from the vigorous and dictatorial rule of the Great Britain by usage of logos, ethos and pathos along with a strong persuasive appeal to make his points clear in the declaration.
The audience had been targeted extraordinarily by Jefferson which not only included the King and the people of the parliament then, but also the people of 13 American colonies to be informed of what their leaders are doing for their freedom and for creating a new nation. Till some extent, the declaration …show more content…
This is clearly seen in the first two paragraphs of the declaration.
In the first paragraph, Jefferson wrote, “When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation” (Jefferson 770). Here Jefferson used a logical and an emotional appeal to ask for separation from the government of Great Britain, which is the right of every person if they want to build their own nation. This right along with the right of every person to declare the reasons for their separation are given by nature and god. When Jefferson stated, “that all men are created equal, that they are…shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness” …show more content…
Usage of Logos is seen in every single strong reason that has been listed. His reasons are logical and factual, he is not trying to throw or impose his own opinions on the readers. In every statement, Jefferson wrote “He has”, meaning the king has carried out these particular actions which has ruined the lives of the people of the colonies, he is not ready to pass any laws for the goodness of the people, he raises the taxes without informing them, he doesn’t let them trade, he doesn’t allow the governors to pass laws, he doesn’t let others to be elected, he has made the judges dependent on him, the people are deprived of trials from the jury, he doesn’t pay heed to these laws and is cruel and unjustified. These are very good reasoning to the readers showing the cruelty of the king. While writing his last reasons for separation, he makes a very strong use of pathos in “He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages” (Jefferson
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