Benjamin Banneker Letter To Thomas Jefferson Analysis Essay Example

Thomas Jefferson was a founding father, a soldier, an intellect, and above all a hypocrite. In the United States, Thomas Jefferson is regarded as a hero for what he did to help gain the country's independence, however while escaping the enslavement of the U.S by Britain he was enslaving others. In 1791, Benjamin Banneker, son of slaves, wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson on the enslavement of African Americans in the U.S. The letter was aimed at fighting for the freedoms of the slaves in America. Through the three appeals, Benjamin Banneker tries to disprove  the oppressive ideas of Thomas Jefferson and to encourage the movement for the emancipation of slaves.

Banneker uses logos to demonstrate Jefferson's hypocrisy to the audience. One example of this is that Jefferson wrote in the Constitution that “all men are created equal” and then refuses to include black people in that. Banneker points out how hypocritical Jefferson’s quotes in the constitution are by showing that although you chose to write the importance of every man equal rights you choose to not give everyone equal rights. Banneker also makes Jefferson seem less intelligent by proving that he doesn’t live up to his words putting a distrust in him. Even though Jefferson says all men are created equal so why aren’t they treated equally. Jefferson’s exact quote is  “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.” Jefferson is directly going against what he wrote in the Declaration of Independence by enslaving and stripping Black Americans of their rights. Banneker is trying to prove that Jefferson's logic is extremely flawed which makes Jefferson seem less intelligent.

Banneker represents the second appeal ethos in his repetition of “sir” throughout his letter. Emotional intelligence is just as if not more important than regular intelligence so Banneker's ability to stay calm and respectful despite the disrespect he and other people of color were facing proved his intelligence. This was especially useful Since black men in the 1700s were seen as uneducated, Banneker uses the word Sir repeatedly to prove his intelligence so the audience will see the purpose of listening to his argument. One of Banneker’s main arguments throughout the letter was that slaves are just as intelligent as white people and should be treated as such, so his writing and using the word sir in an intelligent way really helped prove that. Another example of ethos is his bible references throughout the letter because of the many passages in the bible that are direct;y against slavery one of those being Exodus 21:16 “Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him shall be put to death. This is especially important because Jefferson and other colonizers when America first gained its independence Christianity and god were very highly respected and taught.

The last appeal Banneker uses in his letter to Jefferson is Pathos. “This sir was a time in which you saw into the injustice of a state of slavery and in which you had just apprehensions of the horrors of its condition” This is important because Banneker brings Jefferson back to the time when he and the other white Americans were suffering under British rule hoping that this would give him some sort of empathy towards the slaves. This hopefully would bring empathy for the slaves because of Americas experience being under British rule. After being under British rule for so long Jefferson wrote a letter to John Melish where he writes “An honest man can feel no pleasure in the exercise of power over his fellow citizens” How is Jefferson able to live through British rule and still not give any sort of empathy to his slaves. Jefferson is essentially calling himself a un honest man. 

Banneker wrote an extremely compelling letter to Thomas Jefferson to argue for the rights and freedoms of slaves using appeals. He uses Jefferson’s own words and even the words of God to prove the absurdity of owning slaves. Banneker is able to thoughtfully and indirectly call Jefferson an oppressive hypocrite for his racist ideologies. Jefferson is a hypocrite because what he fought for is what he is allowing to happen to others. Thomas Jefferson is not the honest hero that history has led us to believe.