Thomas Jefferson

History/Context: Jefferson was the typical "Renaissance Man" of the eighteenth century

• He was proficient as an architect, botanist, paleontologist, linguist, and musician
• Jefferson was born well-to-do, being formally educated and inheriting a 5,000 acre estate when his father died
• Jefferson became a member of the House of Burgesses soon after graduating from college (Wm and Mary)
• became popular with A Summary View of the Rights of British America, his first anti-parliamentary work
• Served as governor of Virginia during the Revolution

Text:

• Jefferson uses parallelism to make his point.
• Unlike Paine and Henry, Jefferson does not use figurative language; his points are made by repetition of similar style
• "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator...; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness..." Jefferson repeats the introduction for his readers, and above all, the idea that personal liberty should be preserved for all the colonists
• Jefferson uses parallelism to list the offenses the government has committed against its colonial subjects:
  • He has refused his assent to laws...
  • He has forbidden...
  • He has refuses to pass other laws..
  • Jefferson continues to list twenty separate offenses the British government is guilty of
  • Jefferson calls the king himself responsible, since he believe the character of a "prince" is reflected in the way he rules
  • Jefferson feels strongly that the colonists have a responsibility to stop the tyranny reigning over them for future generations