In the letter to Thomas Jefferson from Benjamin Banneker, it is evident that Banneker uses the rhetorical strategies of humility, religious references, and historical references to create a foundation for a rational and favorable argument against slavery. Banneker is clearly a well-educated man with a background of respectable talents (“…farmer, astronomer, mathematician…” etc.). However, he does not allow his knowledge to condescend towards the white man to whom he is writing. Banneker’s humility is a rhetorical device that contributes to the argument against slavery. Never in the letter does Banneker refer to Jefferson by name.
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.
One of the historical references he makes is quoting a section from the Declaration of Independence. He quotes the beginning of the Declaration of Independence when it mentions that “All men are created equal” and that men have unalienable rights, which are “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” He tells Jefferson that the black men and women of America are not given these rights. They are not given the right to life because they are slaves. They are not given the right to liberty because they are slaves.
Benjamin Banneker, the son of former slaves, writes to secretary of state Thomas Jefferson about the dispute over slavery in America. Banneker is a free man and believes slavery is morally wrong. He chooses to write particularly to Thomas Jefferson because of Jefferson’s negative inclination towards African-Americans as well as the fact that he is in charge of domestic policy. Ultimately, Banneker wants Jefferson to come to his own realization that slavery is wrong and that equality shall remain supreme in America. Banneker provides a syllogistic argument in order to remind Jefferson of the past.
In paragraph 2, he alludes to the Declaration of Independence, which Jefferson helped form. The Declaration states “that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” By alluding to the Declaration Banneker shows how Jefferson, along with others who formed the Constitution, are hypocrites. Jefferson wrote that all men were created equal, and they all had unalienable rights, yet they owned slaves that were not treated equal, and not given any rights. These colonists also fought against oppression, yet they now partake in the oppression of blacks.
The institution of slavery has been regarded as a period of injustice, discrimination, and oppression. African Americans have not only been deprived of their human rights, but have faced physical and mental abuse from the hands of those in power. Several advocates, including the son of slaves and ambitious intellectual Benjamin Banneker, have deemed the enslavement of people as a shameful action enacted by the government. Within his letter to Thomas Jefferson, Banneker brings attention to how Jefferson had acknowledged the immoral conditions brought upon the slaves, yet he had implemented no actions to bring an end to the enslavement of his people. In order to convey to Jefferson in an effective matter, Banneker utilizes a demanding tone and an appeal to emotion to enhance his argument.
In a letter written to Thomas Jefferson, shortly after the finalization of the constitution, Banneker wrote to unravel the paradox of Jefferson’s writing, in his lack of acknowledgement to Afro-American slavery. By manipulating diction, syntax, and pleas to Jefferson’s heart, Banneker adopted a respectful yet critical tone in order to help Jefferson discover it for himself. At the start of the letter, Banneker retells the story of American Revolution. Banneker speaks about the “tyranny of the British Crown” in its efforts to “reduce [the
Banneker talks about how Jefferson and people like him (white) have “miraculous and providential preservations” and how Banneker and his people “suffer” and “variety of dangers”. Jefferson and his people fought for freedom and got it and were now able to be how ever they want, while the slaves have to deal with the same treatment as before. By pointing this out he shows how Jefferson is being no better than those he fought against. Therefore for everything they fought for to be true to the core, they must put an end to slaveholding. Banneker uses irony again in his use of grotesque language to show the injustice of slavery.
In the year 1791 Benjamin Banneker had already made a name for himself in the newly established country of America. He was a very educated man (i.e. was a farmer, astronomer, mathematician, surveyor, and author) for only being a first generation free man. His was filled to the brim with passion on the matters of slavery and wasn’t afraid to take his stand on the issue. He saw no problem in directly addressing the man who wrote the start to our country. In his letter to Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Banneker offers a series of arguments against the institution of slavery.
The United States, a nation founded on the beliefs of equality, upholds an inhumane enslavement of African Americans that opposes its values. In 1791, Benjamin Banneker, a free African American, sends a letter to Thomas Jefferson urging him to reconsider his stance on slavery. In an excerpt from his letter to Thomas Jefferson, Banneker’s personal criticisms of slavery are presented through the use of varied diction, knowledgeable allusions, and impelling appeals illuminating the hypocrisy of the United States’ institution of slavery and their foundations of equality. Banneker begins his letter (Lines 1-30) entreating Jefferson to reflect on the hardships he faced to achieve liberty. Banneker starts with “sir” and continually refers to Jefferson
Benjamin Banneker, in his letter to Thomas Jefferson, offers a series of arguments against the institution of slavery through a respectful tone, religious condemnation, and historical references. The son of former slaves, Benjamin Banneker, is tired of his people being used as slaves when his country’s core beliefs consist of “all men… [being] created equal…with certain unalienable rights.” Abolishing slavery had not been taken into consideration at the time this letter was written, the United States had just been established, and the founding fathers wanted to test how the country was going to run. But Benjamin Banneker wanted a change in one of the country’s key economic pieces.
When he said “all men are created equal” he didn’t really mean all men. To him, the poor people were not created equally. They weren’t treated equally either. Only the rich people and the landowners were created equal in Thomas Jefferson eyes. Poor people were usually slaves.
He considered them to be not as great as white men; they could never do what white men do, referencing back to how the Romans were white and very accomplished. Jefferson claims he is a humanist, but he undermines blacks as incapable human beings inferior to whites. That is literally a paradox: supporting the potential value of humans while disregarding a group of humans’ value. Also, Jefferson was a slaveholder. Although he thought himself as a ‘good slaveholder’, he made them reconstruct his home multiple times, sold and bought them freely, and so forth.
Often times people put the founding fathers on a pedestal,but Hamilton portrays them in a relatable, humanistic light. The fact that the cast consists of people of color furthers the audience connection to the story because America today is racially diverse; audiences wouldn’t be able to connect to the story as well if the actors were all white because that is not the America that the audiences are familiar with. People of color can now view themselves as a part of American history through Hamilton’s diverse casting. In history class, many people of color cannot personally relate to the information taught because a majority of American history was written from a white perspective. Hamilton allows people of color to feel like they are an
By doing so, Banneker aligns with Jefferson’s own struggles to be free. Banneker also alludes to the Declaration of Independence. “…That all men are created equal…among
