Rhetorical Analysis Of Benjamin Banneker Letter To Jefferson

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Benjamin Banneker was an independent man who was fighting to change the view of slaves that the american people had adopted. Many people believed slaves to have little intelligence, and to not have the same morals and emotions as the free white man. Benjamin, despite being the son of slaves, went on to become a farmer, an astronomer, a mathematician, a surveyor, and an author. In 1791 he sent a letter to Thomas Jefferson in an attempt to sway his support of slavery.Within his letter addressing Jefferson, Banneker effectively communicates his argument by exposing Jefferson’s contradictory ideas, using emotional appeals, and confronting Jefferson in a critical yet respectful tone. Throughout the essay, Banneker uses a tone that is differential

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