What is the declaration of independence? The declaration of independence was a political declaration that summarized the American colonist motivation for seeking their independence from Great Britain. The rhetor’s of this piece were the congress men of the colonies(Virginia, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts). The congress men were Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston. What makes them trustworthy and believed was the fact that they had power in the congress they were able to gain the audience attention because they showed that they were trying to benefit the colonies. The specific qualifications that the rhetors had were not only were they the congress men, but they all had the vote of their people. They knew that the people have put their faiths in their hands the minute they voted for them to become congressmen. The credibility that these congressmen had with their intended audience is that they were their leaders in the political word and they believed that they would fight for what their people want and need politically.
The intended audience that these congressmen were addressing are the people of these colonies. Those that are paying taxes to the king and queen of Great Britain all the way from the colonies. These were basically the hard working men and women the vary in age and gender they can be from as young as 18 years old and they had very little to no power in the political word when it comes to paying taxes and voting for their leaders. The values that the rhetors share with the audience is that both share the same struggle with Great Britain and its demands. The audience of the congressmen are also having political problems with Great Britain and its demands and they are ready for a revolution to gain independence from Great Britain and this gives the congressmen the upper hand in succeeding with what they are addressing to the people.
What appealed to the audience about the congressmen is that they were on the peoples side as far as how unfairly Great Britain was treating the colonies. The British passed many tax laws that impacted the colonist and they had no voice in the British government and they believed that the congressmen were their only hope in changing things around. This level of connection between the colonist and the congressmen with their approach towards liberating them from the British helped the movement by gathering them all together and revolting as one. The protested many times and they’ve also damaged a lot of goods that the British were importing to the colonies. They’ve pledged not to pay any taxes to the British government.
The context of this address was to liberate the colonies from the British government. It was a formal statement drafted by one of the congressmen Thomas Jefferson that was going to declare the freedom of the thirteen American colonies from Great Britain. This included the ideas that all men are created equal, all men have basic human rights given to them by god. And that the only reason to have a government is to protect the basic human rights which Jefferson listed as Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This was first addressed on June 11, 1776. It was addressed at this time because they believed that it was about the time that they gain their rights as human beings from the British that’ve been bossing them around for the past couple of years. The Declaration of independence was drafted in Virginia on May 15, 1776 it was a first draft for the colony of Virginia after Thomas Jefferson have learned that the Virginia convention has called for Independence from the British. At the time this was only drafted for Virginia before the rest of the colonies joined. This was a response to the unfairly social acts of the British government towards the colonist. These social acts/issues were pressing to the Congressmen because they believe as the leaders of their colonies they must take action to help satisfy the needs of their people. He urgency of this movement was for the colonist to gain their rights as human beings.
The limitations that the congressmen have faced with the colonist was basically the failure to declare independence from Great Britain. The congress men negotiated these limitations by making sure they gain their independence in provoking the British government until they went to war. The colonist issues and limitations were based on social, political and economic reasons. They were not given their basic human rights. They didn’t have any saying in the British government and they were also forced to pay taxes against their own will no matter what.
The declaration of independence was presented to the colonies congressmen who which later on presented it to their colonies and was able to gain the colonist approval to move forward with its intended actions.
The message of this text was to give the colonist their basic human rights from the British. This message was designed by listing all the request of the colonist and their demand as far as their rights in the political and social world. The purpose to fully gave their independence from Great Britain and that they were able to run their own country with the government that they’ve set for the colonies.
The declaration of independence worked because it granted the colonist their rights as human beings. They made the choices of gaining their rights and independence at any cost even if it meant going to war. What seem most crucial to me about the text was its overall purpose. What made it so crucial to me was the way it argued with the British and supported what the colonist demanded from the British. The claim that the congressed meant seem very appealing and logical as to why they should revolt and demand their independence. I made this because while reading about this piece of artifact it attract my attention and if I was one of the colonist I would most likely go forward with this approach toward gaining independence.
The authors of the declaration of independence use the rhetorical appeals of Pathos, Ethos and Logos to gain the approval of the colonist and have them side with the decision to over throw the British government from the colonies. The used ethos by showing their audience where they stand on the argument of why they British government should be overthrown from the American colonies and why they shouldn’t have to live under the control of the British government being that they are separated by thousands of miles of water. They also use Logos to logically prove their point. They used this by showing how it’s pointless to live under the British government while not having any political power nor any human basic rights. Then they use Pathos to attract their audience emotions by listing the wrong doings of the British king and how they have left them no rights even as normal human beings. This made the declaration of independence very appealing to the colonist it gain their attention and encouraged them to go forward with the revolution of overthrowing the British government by force or will. After the British government rejected their proposal they started to riot and cause economic damages. By destroying anything that the British taxed the colonist on they became restless and problems started to grow until a war broke out. It made the colonist feel like they were doing the right thing because they noticed that the British very becoming very angry and to go to war with the colonies it would make them loose a lot economically speaking.
The congress men who signed the Declaration of independence were successful in accomplishing their purpose of the declaration of independence because soon after the war broke out they managed to unite the colonist and fight the British with everything they’ve got until they have successfully overthrown the British government form the colonies.
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