Examples Of Ethos In The Declaration Of Independence

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Rhetoric is the art of persuasion, in which there are three forms. Ethos the credibility of the author, Pathos the emotion you create, and logos the logical side of an argument. Many articles and papers use these terms of persuasion to see their side one such document is The Declaration of Independence. The purpose for said document was for the 13 original colonies to declare freedom from the oppressive rule of England.

Ethos is the first form of rhetoric and it focuses on the credibility, or the authority of the author or representative. The author of the Declaration of Independence happened to be the young Thomas Jefferson an excellent writer and politician along with the rest of the committee. With in the declaration Jefferson reiterates time and time again that they are “the representing the United States of America” and that they are appealing to the supreme judge “in the name, and by authority of the good people of these colonies … our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor”. They followed the passage by every one of the representatives signing their name causing them to officially become the leaders and founders of America. …show more content…

Jefferson and the others used the tool of pathos continuously by using the famous phrase “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” this sentence gives strong emotions even now of want, hope and pride. Jefferson continues to build upon these strong emotions with words like “safety” “happiness” “prudence” “wholesome” “suffer” “necessary” “destroyed” “merciless Indian

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