Thomas Jefferson said in the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” (Banneker). Thomas Jefferson was a big advocate for human rights, but he did not think that these rights applied to African Americans, so he allowed slavery to exist. Banneker was angry at Jefferson because of this, so he wrote a letter calling him out for it. Benjamin Banneker uses repetition, archaic diction, and allusions in his letter to emphasize his purpose of trying to persuade Thomas Jefferson to change his mind about slavery; because he argued that all people had unalienable rights but that Africans did not deserve those rights. First, Banneker uses repetition to emphasize his purpose of trying to persuade Thomas Jefferson to change his mind about slavery. Banneker uses the word “sir” repeatedly throughout the text in order to emphasize his purpose. The word “sir” is a respectful word used to address a person of power. …show more content…
Banneker uses the word “sir”, which is archaic diction, in his text in order to prove his purpose. “Sir” is used to show respect to Jefferson, to show that he is powerful, and to show that he is high up in society. This reminds Jefferson that he has the power and status to end slavery. Banneker also uses the word “publickly” in order to prove his purpose. “Publickly” is used when Banneker talks about how tremendously Jefferson spoke out about human rights. By using “publickly”, Banneker was emphasizing how strongly Thomas Jefferson spoke about human rights, and how now he is saying Africans do not deserve those rights. Banneker is reminding Jefferson that he spoke so outwardly about the issue that not he is being a hypocrite by allowing slavery to