Banneker’s use of logos throughout this text exemplifies Thomas Jefferson’s hypocrisy on his stated ideas of equality and freedom. As shown in paragraph four Banneker openly expresses his idea that if Jefferson founded his recently published laws on sincerity there could be no way that he was not distraught from the treatment of African American’s in America. By stating this he indirectly points out Jefferson’s hypocrisy. He is able to do this because it is, and was, a publicly known fact that Jefferson owned slaves and by making this statement he is suggesting that either Jefferson wrote these laws and statements without sincerity or that Jefferson is a hypocrite. A second example of Banneker’s use of logos to show Jefferson’s hypocrisy is shown in paragraph six when he asks Jefferson to remember the time when the colonies were under Britain’s …show more content…
Banneker’s use of words and phrases like “servitude” and “aid appeared unavailable” brings to mind the, at that time, current actions of slavery before he even mentions said slavery. Banneker does then go onto write, in paragraph seven, “This, Sir, was a time when you clearly saw into the injustice of a state of slavery.” He then continues to state how in this time of vulnerability Jefferson wrote an “invaluable doctrine which is worthy to be recorded and remembered in all succeeding ages.” Banneker then inserts an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence that Jefferson wrote that entailed the statement that “all men are created equal” and that these men are “endowed by there creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life liberty and pursuit of happiness.” Banneker then uses this excerpt to show that Jefferson has “counteracted his (God’s) mercies.” By doing this Jefferson is left with two decisions, he either takes back the statement he made, or, claims he is above