A Declaration in the Midst

Thomas Jefferson. A founding father. The third president of the United States. Say his name and the American Revolution comes to mind. As the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, many are unaware that Jefferson’s articulate writing abilities were evident prior to the drafting of that famous document. In 1774, Jefferson earned his reputation as a skilled writer with his work, A Summary View of the Rights of British America.

Context

Before the Declaration of Independence was written, the Thirteen Colonies were still under British rule and facing many oppressions. This document goes into detail the rights that British America should have over the colonies and he argues that the colonies were founded independent of British America and have rights to be governed independently. This work in particular was presented to the First Continental Congress. Unfortunately, Congress was not convinced and the document was brushed aside until it was printed in pamphlet form and distributed throughout London, Philadelphia, and New York.

Logos, Pathos, Ethos

Overall, Jefferson plays most strongly to the idea of logos. He draws upon the past experiences of the Saxons breaking free from Northern Europe and eventually establishing their own rule to establish the logic behind why the Thirteen Colonies will eventually break free from British rule. His argument is very orderly and methodical, seamlessly flowing from one point to another. Jefferson also uses the idea of natural born rights to further establish his logical argument as to why Britain cannot maintain their power. Pathos is also used in the focus of the oppression of the Colonies to increase the emotional appeal as to why they needed to break free. Although ethos was not used in this document, it was this pamphlet that established Jefferson as an authority in the sector of political writing. This very document gave him to authority he needed to go on and publish the Declaration of Independence.

Past and Future Fact

One of Jefferson’s strong arguments is that of the Saxons. Prior to the establishment of Great Britain, the Saxon’s were ruled by Northern Europe. However, eventually, the Saxon’s separated themselves into new lands and Northern Europe lost their jurisdiction over them. Jefferson alludes to the past fact that this has happened before and the future fact that it will happen again. Looking on the past also helps Jefferson to understand how it can be done in the future as well.