Thomas Jefferson's Best Argument

Throughout our short time in this class we have been able look at many articles written by very influential people. The arguments they have presented have affected numerous people across the globe. By studying the works of Jefferson, Stanton, Wollstonecraft, and Woolf I have been able to see what makes an argument good vs what make an argument great. What makes an argument great or the best, is the authors ability to select the correct audience, use form to address that audience and ultimately have a lasting effect on the world. Although each of these authors present their arguments in an excellent manner, I believe that it is Jefferson who presents the best argument. There are three criteria which make Jefferson’s argument transcend above
Form is the technique and literary devices that Jefferson uses to push his argument further across to his audience. His use of repetition and creation of a tangible common enemy for the people creates reason to his argument and direct enemy to pass the blame on. Towards the beginning of Jefferson’s argument, he creates the definition of who the enemy is. Jefferson states “—when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, …” there by defining who an enemy of the people is: a government that produces a “long train of abuses and usurpations”. Immediately after the definition Jefferson claims that “The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations …” there by calling the king an enemy. By calling the king an enemy, he is able to put a face on who the enemy is. Instead of having a large, intangible enemy like Great Britain, Jefferson is able to place the blame on one person which is really useful for the next part of the declaration where he lists the actual grievances. In the form of his argument, Thomas Jefferson is able define what an enemy is, who he is then he ultimately describes how he is the enemy through the use of repetition. Jefferson’s repeated use of the words “He” and “For” within the bulk of the declaration allow him to explain how the king has violated the rights of the colonists in a simple way. In understanding that the declaration would most likely be read in the town square of a city, Jefferson is able to utilize form in a way that makes his argument more powerful. The repetition of the words “He” and “For” forces the colonist to realize just how many times the King has wronged them. In addition to this, the concise nature of the “He”