Thomas Jefferson and "The Declaration of Independence"

Every United States citizen is familiar with “The Declaration of Independence”. It is a very emotional and powerful document. Even though it appeals to emotions, it is a very logical piece of work. Thomas Jefferson balances the three appeals and uses a logical pattern of organization to his advantage in “The Declaration of Independence” by appealing to his audience and by revising his work. The revision he did was a key part in his use of a logical pattern of organization. Emotions are one of the three appeals. Jefferson used emotional appeal in “The Declaration of Independence” by making sure this document would affect his audience: the people of the United States. Jefferson wrote, “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal;”(663). All throughout history there has been controversy about all men being equal. This is a very emotional topic because not everyone believed in that during this time period. That statement is also ethical and will also be addressed later. In “The Declaration of Independence” Jefferson gives men rights and he also mentions that the country is ruled by the people, otherwise known as a democracy. This is an emotional appeal because for so many years American had been under complete control of Great Britain. They were finally standing up for themselves and making a change. There had to be a whirlwind of emotions such as happiness, nervousness, and even fear. With this document Jefferson gave the people hope and they no longer had to live in constant fear. He gave them power. This document has a great deal of emotional appeal just because it marked the end of Great Britain’s control over America. Jefferson spent a great deal of time talking about how Great Britain had done them wrong. In doing this he appealed to the people’s emotions. They experienced hurt and fear and Jefferson reopened closed wounds. He had to do this to get his point across: something had to change. The people must have felt a great deal of emotion knowing that a weight was about to be lifted off of their shoulders. Jefferson didn’t stop with emotional appeals. He also used logical appeal. His proposals made sense. Jefferson said, “that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness;” (663). It is logical that the people of this country have rights that can’t be taken away from them. “that to secure these rights, governments are institutes among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed;” (663). In the second paragraph of this document Jefferson is already proposing a much needed government. He prioritized his thoughts and propped the most important changes in the beginning. This strategy is also logical because it shows the people what the most important changes are. The rest of “The Declaration of Independence” is pretty much telling the people how Great Britain has abused them. It is also a logical strategy and appeal because it reminds the people why they are seeking independence. It does have emotional appeal as well. The last appeal that Jefferson used was ethical appeal. The people trusted Jefferson. He was a Christian. He was educated. He believed that all men are created equal. Jefferson knew what had to be done and he took charge. The people really trusted him. He took charge and became the voice of the people. Essentially, he changed America. People knew that Jefferson was a good man. His word choice and style also helped with his ethical appeal. This will be discussed in greater detail, but he chose words that would allow for all of the different economic classes to understand what he was saying. Thomas Jefferson was a very ethical man and used a great deal of ethical appeal. Jefferson also used a logical pattern of organization to his advantage in this document. He starts with proposing changes to their way of life. He then goes on to talk about why these changes need to be made. He mentions all of the horrible things that Great Britain has done to them. The end of the document is kind of like an oath. This is a logical pattern because it begins and ends on a sort of happy note. There was a revision that took place and it made the document even stronger. Paragraphs were removed and words were simplified for the people to better understand. Thomas Jefferson definitely appealed to his audience by using emotional, logical, and ethical appeals. He also used a logical pattern of organization to his advantage. Because of the three appeals and his organization, he was able to change the United States of America and he went down in history. Without “The Declaration of Independence” we would not be the great country we are today. He changed the mindset of the people and made a difference with the three appeals that he used. His pattern of organization definitely helped in his persuasion and gave him an uphill advantage. Works Cited Baym, Nina, and Robert S. Levine. "From the Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson." The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 8th ed. Vol. A. New York: W. W. Norton, 2012. 661-67. Print.