A Sense Of Unity In Thomas Jefferson's Declaration Of Independence

As July began in 1776, the once prosperous relationship between the American colonies and Great Britain came to an end. As the tension grew, the colonists no longer withstood the tyranny, and as stated in the Declaration of Independence, the representatives of the colonies decided that when the situation reached a dire state, “it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which connected them with another.” Before the document was written, Great Britain mistreated the colonists. The mother land imposed unjust laws unto the colonists, and the corpses continued to pile up. Despite efforts to have a peaceful agreement, King George III refused to listen and sentence the “traitors” to death. With the memories of the fallen still fresh in their mind, the representatives of the colonies created a group of writers to construct a radical declaration that stated and justify its independence. The group then decided that Thomas Jefferson, one of the
In this time period, loyalty to the mother country still resided within some of the colonists. To combat the uncertainty of separation, Thomas Jefferson lists the foolish acts of the king and shows their past attempts to persuade more people to join the upcoming revolution. He stated, “We have warned them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity… They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and consanguinity.” With these statements, he clarifies that the representatives have tried to use clear communication to avoid violence and proves that Great Britain’s ignorance had started the movement. Moreover, Jefferson utilizes specific words to create an image of personal unity. Throughout the document, he uses our and we, effectively creating an image of a united force against Great