The Negative Connotations In Thomas Jefferson's The Declaration Of Independence

The Declaration of Independence (1776) was written to state the grievances of the American colonists and to declare their movement for independence from Great Britain. By doing so , Jefferson informs the public of their intentions, in hope to find some support for their independence by striking a chord in issues that other nations may also have. In his historical essay, The Declaration of Independence, in order to demonstrate Thomas Jefferson uses negative connotations, syllogisms, and anaphora in order to demonstrate the discontent of the American colonists with British sovereignty, and the events that led to their desire for a new government run by the people for the people in order to justify colonial independence.

Thomas Jefferson’s implements negative connotations in order to appeal to the logic present throughout human history, that people are born free and have the right to do what makes them happy. In the second paragraph of the document, Jefferson argues, “To prove this, let facts be submitted...” Here the connotation presented by the word fact is a form of authority and credibility, which functions to attempt to persuade the reader that what is being stated is a solid reason for their dissatisfaction with the

For example, in his multiple indictments against King George iii, Jefferson starts at least five sets of consecutive sentences with either “He has” or“For”. The purpose of the anaphora in this case is to overwhelm the reader with the multiple wrongdoings of the king and repeatedly hammering the audience with fact after fact. The repetition of phrases also supports Jefferson’s argument that the American colonists should form their own government by showing that the king has committed offenses time and time again without attempting to correct his ways. This repetitive format shows how tired the colonists grew of being mistreated continuously to no