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Benjamin Banneker Letter To Thomas Jefferson Essay

534 Words3 Pages

In Benjamin Banneker's letter to Thomas Jefferson, he develops his argument against slavery through historical allusions and emotional appeals in order to persuade Thomas Jefferson about the injustice of slavery.

Firstly, Benjamin Banneker uses historical and biblical appeals to help convey his purpose of the injustice of slavery to Thomas Jefferson. Banneker makes an allusion to the invasion of the British colonies in America to offer a comparison to slavery. Banneker asks Jefferson to recall the time and reflect on that time “in which every human aid appeared unavailable”. In hopes he was able to involve guilt in Jefferson as while slavery was happening he enjoyed the “freedom and tranquility” that received a “peculiar bussing of Heaven”. Jefferson was able to enjoy freedom and tranquility while African Americans were being forced to be slaves. He uses this allusion to emphasize how Jefferson was enjoying freedom while slavery was happening, in order to make Jefferson feel a sense of guilt for what he allowed to go on. …show more content…

Banneker mentions how Jefferson said “all men are created equal” and all have the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”, however, Jefferson's actions do not reflect his words. He is saying everyone is equal and has the right to life and liberty, yet he allows slavery even though it's the opposite. Slaves have no life or rights and are forced to do the worst of the worst. Not only does Banneker emotionally appeal to when he publicly held forth the truth, but he also appeals to how potable it is to have to reflect on Jefferson’s actions. Banneker talks about how he counteracts his mercies “under graning captivity and cruel oppression” and that he should be “found guilty of that most criminal act which you professedly detested in others with respect to

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His father was an enslaved West African from Guinea and his mother was the child of a female European indentured servant and an enslaved African who gained his freedom before she was born.” Mr. Banneker was a self- educated mathematician, astronomer, ran his family’s farm, and a writer among other things. He is mostly known for creating a wooden clock that ran every hour for over forty years, helping survey our nation’s capital, his widely read almanacs, and his letters to Thomas Jefferson. 4. For what audience was the document written?

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Benjamin Banneker’s letter is filled with a litany of examples to argue against slavery. Banneker was a farmer, astronomer, mathematician, surveyor, author, and the son of former slaves. Banneker wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson, the framer of the Declaration of Independence and secretary of state. In this letter Banneker uses rhetorical strategies to argue against slavery such as being a hypocrite, using the word “sir” referring to Jefferson, and using examples of the declaration of independence of how it’s wrong with “all men created equal.” Banneker is a flat out hypocrite.

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As the son of two former slaves, Benjamin Banneker wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson to end slavery in the United States. The letter was written in 1791 and argues that his “brethren” need to be freed just like Jefferson and the other founding fathers envisioned for the rest of the country. Banneker shows that he will provide any argument, and expose every angle he possibly can to extinguish slavery. He uses a plethora of rhetorical devices to achieve this goal, such as allusion and analogy.

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Benjamin Banneker uses many rhetorical strategies in his letter to Thomas Jefferson and George Washington to argue against slavery. Banneker employs repetition to create polite diction, ethos, logos, and an allusion to the Bible and passages from the Declaration of Independence to convey his ideas that slavery is at its roots against the idea that all men are created equal, opposing the ideas in the Declaration of Independence. Banneker uses repetition to keep a respectful tone throughout his letter. In repeating “sir” before each addition to his argument, Banneker has a formal and polite tone. This helps argue against slavery because he is not blaming the reader, but respectfully presenting the facts.

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Benjamin Banneker, in his letter to Thomas Jefferson, offers a series of arguments against the institution of slavery through a respectful tone, references to history, and the Bible. As a son of former slaves, Banneker is seeking justice for the black population and uses Jefferson’s own words against him as he speaks on behalf of “Black America.” He shares his opinions with Jefferson, who is higher authority, in a respectful manner while still managing to criticize him. Banneker starts off his letter to Jefferson by calling his “Sir.” He refers to Jefferson this way because he wants to be respectful to this man who exists as a higher authority as a politician.

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Benjamin Banneker in the letter, argues against slavery. Banneker uses biblical allusion, and a melancholic tone in order to argue against slavery to Thomas Jefferson in 1791.     Banneker uses biblical allusion in order to demonstrate that all humans should be treated the same, and have equal rights. For example, “you cannot but acknowledge that the present freedom and tranquility which you enjoy you have mercifully received and that it is the pecular blessing of Heaven” (Banneker 1). Banneker presents his argument by stating that Thomas Jefferson has freedom because of heaven, and he should extend the same right to everyone else.

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