George Washington In Henry Wiencek's An Imperfect God

In the letter, Benjamin Banneker, a son of former slaves, farmer, astronomer, mathematician and author, wrote to President George Washington in 1791 he argues against the practice of slavery. Banneker supports his argument by using emotional appeal and alluding to the declaration of independence and the Bible. Banneker uses these methods in order to convince Washington of the wrongs of slavery. With the letter being written with the sole audience of President Washington it has a respectful but critical to as to get his point across but not impolite while doing so. Banneker successfully uses these strategies to present an argument to Washington about how immoral slavery is and why it should be abolished.

Washington speech made the people feel patriotic in participating in their government by saying “unity of government” is the “main pillar in the edifice of our real independence”. He caused the audience to have a sense of responsibility in their civic duties, economic prosperity, and defense for their country for their own “tranquility at home, your peace abroad; of your safety; of your prosperity” and “liberty”. Although, Lincoln appealed to the peoples’ conscience on the subject of slavery by quoting “a house divided against itself cannot stand”, making them feel guilty for the division of the states not coming together to decide on keeping slavery or ending it. Also, he appeals to the conscience of the people by questioning “Have we no tendency to the latter condition?” referring to slaves going to states that have abolished slavery still being a claimed as a slave.

In the book of His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis, the author introduces Washington, the Father of the United States, in a fresh portrait focused on the characters of Washington. This book is an impressive biography of Washington's remarkable dedication to the United States history. According to the author, George Washington is an omnipresent figure as he was growing up, described as the man in the moon who was aloof and silent. This book focuses on Washington's wartime service which became some of his major contributions to the United States, rather than merely telling the true story of Washington, its main thesis is focusing on analyzing his contributions and how his governorship had affected the American history.

Introduction Slavery was the harsh reality for many native-Americans and Africans in the 16-1800’s throughout the world. A slave is ‘: someone who is legally owned by another person and is forced to work for that person without pay’ (Ref. 3), and they were the main support of America and much of Europe's wealth, industrial and economic growth. Slaves were kidnapped, traded and sold as part of an intercontinental business that contradicted every basic value towards life, equality and others (Ref.5). But only few saw this and they fought heart and soul to change the minds of the public, and one man who did this was William Lloyd Garrison, well known for his newspaper ‘The Liberator’ and his overall contribution towards the abolition of the Slave

Washington’s Farewell Address Analysis George Washington was an American politician and soldier who served as the first President of the United States. He was in office from April 30, 1789 to March 4, 1797. Washington served two terms as president, which equaled a total of eight years. His eight years had its ups and downs, but in the end, he was very influential and a strong leader. Throughout his presidency, he made sure that the American people could exercise their rights and he was not intolerant when it came to hearing what his opposing side had to say.

George Washington Plunkitt was a historically significant politician born in 1842 into a poor family. He initially worked as a butcher, but then followed his dream of entering into politics. He started at the New York state assembly and ultimately ended up as a New York state senator. He held the reins of the Tammany Hall political machine for over 40 years. Tammany Hall is one of the most controversial topics of political history and is the main discussion of the book Honest Graft: The World of George Washington Plunkitt by William L. Riordon. It is a collections of talks and writing of Plunkitt detailing about his life, politics, and general knowledge of the public. Many reformers saw the organization of Tammany Hall as a corrupt malignancy that plagued the American government. But Plunkitt argues that his work was always practical, legal and influential and helped shape the democratic system for the better. And as for his fortune, he simply states, “I seen my opportunities and I took em.” (Riordon)

Banneker Rhetorical Analysis The last 16 years of the 18th Century were very exciting for the United States of America. We had just defeated the British in the brutal Revolutionary War, and the sense of becoming a super power was becoming more realistic. However, our young country had many flaws such as; a massive war debt, no stable economy, and the dependence of slaves to do back-breaking work. In 1791, eight years after the end of the war, Benjamin Banneker wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson, the Secretary of State at the time. In his letter, Banneker, the son of a former slave, argues against slavery through the use of flashbacks that demonstrate early patriotic values, the repetition of polite, respectful phrases, and the allusions to biblical doctrine to achieve the purpose of introducing the idea that slavery is an issue.

Benjamin Banneker, the son of former slaves, wrote to Thomas Jefferson in 1791 to argue against slavery and that the freedom and tranquility we enjoy is a blessing from heaven. The author uses quotes, diction and rhetorical questions to develop and support his claims. Banneker’s purpose is to get Thomas Jefferson to consider the morals of slavery. The intended audience is Thomas Jefferson and any other government official who reads this letter. To begin, Banneker uses an intricate choice of words to express how unhappy he is with slavery and those who allow it.

Paragraph 1 "George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, in Westmoreland County, Virginia" (George Washington, 2016). The late president George Washington would 284 years old today if he was here. " A month after leaving the army, Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis, a widow, who was only a few months older than he"(George Washington. ,2016). George Washington married Martha Washington to whom he would be married to most of his life.

It is also interesting to read how the anti-and pro slavery camps argued for their beliefs, how politicians abandoned their old parties and formed the new ones based on their common beliefs or interests and how they fought for their political gains. The period of the antebellum America presents such a tumultuous one, yet it shows how the young republic struggled to find a path to a better union among those hungry for power and wealth. Above all, it does require wisdom, vision, courage, determination and political maneuvers

The issue of slavery was a significant “thorn in the side” of America from the very inception of our nation. Despite the fact that slavery was an accepted legal phenomenon in the eighteenth century, it also invoked significant controversy. Many Americans, typically those denizens of the southern states, felt that slavery was an indispensable economic necessity. Alternatively, others opined that slavery was an inherently immoral and unethical institution which denied certain races basic human rights, and as such warranted abolition, no matter the consequences. Although the Constitution never mentions the word “slave” once, slavery is referenced to in the Constitution several times, in three prominent compromises that our founding fathers were forced to make, for the sake of the establishment of a unified nation.

Frederick Douglass, born a slave and later the most influential African American leader of the 1800s, addresses the hypocrisy of the US of maintaining slavery with its upheld ideals being freedom and independence on July 4th, 1852. Douglass builds his argument by using surprising contrasts, plain facts, and provocative antithesis. Introducing his subject, Douglass reminds his audience about the dark side of America for slaves, in sharp, surprising contrasts with the apparent progressivity within the nation. He first notices “the disparity,” that “the sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and deaths to me,” as an African-American former slave. It is surprising for the audience to hear that the Sun does not bring him any prosperity, that the Sun, the source of life on earth, brings him destruction.

In 1776, on July 4th, the 13 English colonies officially declared their freedom from England. However, as the years progressed, slavery became incorporated into everyday American life. In 1852, Frederick Douglass, a former slave, was called upon to deliver a speech to celebrate America’s independence; however, he censured Americans for saying they were a “country of the free”. In the speech, Hypocrisy of American Slavery, Frederick Douglass declares that Americans should not be celebrating their freedom when there are slaves living in the country. He uses emotional appeal, ethical appeal, and rhetorical questions to convince his audience that Americans are wrong celebrating freedom on the 4th of July when slavery exists in their country.

As a representative of slavery, Frederick Douglass in the speech, What To The American Slave Is Your 4th Of July?, denounces America’s disposition towards slavery, noting its emergence into a flagrantly hypocritical state. Douglass supports his denouncement by arguing that, to the African American slave, whether freed or not, the Fourth of July is merely reminiscent of the blatant injustice and cruelty they stand subject to every day. The author’s purpose is to declare that slaves are men as well, in order to slander the nation’s misconduct and unveil the great sin and shame of America: slavery. Douglass’s formal writing style addresses his audience of Americans who observe the holiday, as well as others interested in the topic of slavery and deception ー where America reigns.

Beginning in 1607, slavery arose as indentured servitude ended, as it was full of too many complications. Bacon’s rebellion proved that free labor is successful, as long as I was purely free and not reliant on the promise of land in the end. The accessibility and legality of slavery made it the perfect economical move to maintain the prospering cash crops of the North American colonies. Slavery seemed like the best option for the colonies in the 17th century, but the issues of differing human morality will begin to rise and trigger the civil