In a huge room with many lively congressmen, stood Benjamin Franklin's speech presenter. This may be the government's only hope to have everyone sign and pass the Constitution. There were all different opinions on how to change and rearrange this constitution but Franklin's main goal was to get all the delegates to sign. Benjamin Franklin the author of “Speech in the Convention” (1787) builds his argument to persuade his audience of his respective claim by using concessions and allusions in order to convince the delegates at the constitutional convention to sign and pass the Constitution. Benjamin Franklin utilizes rhetorical device concessions to persuade his audience by admitting the Constitution has errors and anything man made is never …show more content…
To provide the delegates with a comedic example of how they are acting, which was very divided, the story of the “French lady” that was in an argument with her sister was brought up. The French lady mentioned that she is “always in the right” just as Franklin stated earlier that “most men...think themselves in possession of all truth” (Franklin 43). This allusion allows the delegates to open their eyes on how they are representing themselves and put aside their actions to listen to the rest of the speech. Religion was an important factor in many people's lives during the Constitutions making. The reference to the builders of Babel was to show the delegates they are “ confounded like those of the builders… the states are on the point of separation” (Franklin 43). In this religious allusion the builders try to build a tower to heaven but were cursed with all having different languages. The point of this reference was to provide a religious example to the audience that they are just as separated as the builders that spoke all different languages. The following allusions of the French lady and the builders of Babel were used as reference to exhibit to the delegates that their actions were unnecessary for building the
In Patrick Henry’s,“ Speech in the Virginia Convention,” he explains to the President as well as the government at the time on how a war with Britain is completely necessary in order to gain full independence for America. Henry uses a proud tone to inspire his audience, simple and complex sentence structure to convey straightforward details, patriotic and passionate diction to bring an uprising of emotion, and ethos to ethically support the main idea.
From fighting for their individual rights as a human, to forming a government from scrap, it’s hard to believe that one of the strongest countries today started off like that. What helped America become one of the strongest countries? The answer lies between the countless documents written by many of our founding fathers although two in particular are essential to the freedom we have today. The Federalist Papers No.10 and The Declaration of Independence are two important documents that has impacted America greatly. The Federalist Papers No.10 purpose was to help make others endorse the Constitution. The Declaration of Independence was written to declare the freedom and rights of the colonist and explaining why they have chosen to declare their independence. The Federalist Papers No.10 and The Declaration of Independence uses similar rhetorical devices but also uses different rhetorical devices to convince their audiences for a government that will benefit all not just some. There were rhetorical device used that The Federalist Papers No.10 and The Declaration of Independence both share.
This book tells the story of the Philadelphia convention, in the summer of 1787. Throughout, Stewart uses descriptive language to portray the delegates, both remembered —such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton— and forgotten —such as James Wilson and George Mason— in the turmoil of creating the United States constitution. It illustrates both the great conflicts and high-stake compromises that those delegates faced, all ultimately dominated by one inelegantly polarizing issue: slavery. With calculated endorsement by influential delegates such as Franklin and Washington, who
Henry knew his audience inside and out, which helped him persuade them effectively. In his logical appeals, Henry uses facts, statistics, examples, past history and incidents to persuade the audience. On the other hand, in Henry’s emotional appeals, he uses diction, imagery, figurative language, allusions to literature, use of religion and stories that arouse emotions to persuade the audience. These appeals are meant to stir the audience’s emotions. All of these factors played a big role in persuading the audience at the Virginia Convention. As a young man, Patrick Henry failed at attempts at storekeeping and farming before discovering before discovering his true calling: the law. Starting as a 29 year old lawyer, Henry gradually developed as a politician and as a result, Patrick Henry is now recognized as one of the most persuasive orators in American Colonial
In the “Speech in the Virginia Convention” by Patrick Henry, there is an abundance of persuasive arguments that are employed to try and push the American politicians to fight the British control over the colonies. The rhetorical strategies used are ethos, pathos, and logos, and this helps further the development of his argument for fighting against the British rule over the colonies.
In offering alternative interpretations of the origins of the Constitution, the author accomplishes his secondary purpose, to make the reader challenge what they know about the framing of the Constitution. Holton details the rebellion of the “Unruly Americans” against the state and national governments, using Adonijah Mathews as an ultimate example of the “common man.” Mathews’ views are presented in order to contrast the views of James Madison, whom it seems the author
The book, The Summer of 1787, by David O. Stewart, is a detailed work of historical, fact-based non-fiction with a biographical touch. The book has three hundred and forty-nine pages and was copyrighted in 2007 after being published by Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, which is a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. David O. Stewart is qualified to write on the subject of the Constitutional Convention and all of the events surrounding it because of the extensive research that he has done, which is evidenced by his references to historical accounts in the text and his “Notes” section, which details many of the sources he used in his research. Also, David O. Stewart’s background qualifies him to write about this subject: He has practiced law in Washington D.C. for over 20 years and served as law clerk to several judges. The Summer of 1787 includes several features that add to the overall scope and quality of the book. First, it has illustrations of the delegates that are being described in the book along with other various illustrations added in. Second, it talks about, in more detail, one of the most important parts of government, the elector system. Next, it actually includes the Constitution that was written by these delegates in 1787 and amended so many times since.
In 1787, a Convention was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This Convention, was the Constitutional Convention. The Constitutional Convention’s purpose was for delegates from all thirteen colonies to agree on a constitution. The delegates did a lot of research on governments throughout history, in order to find a government fit for the colonies. The convention took many days, even months, to finish because the delegates would only share what they want, not listen to what others had to say, “tempers flared and interests clashed as the delegates spoke their opinions” (“Appeal for Prayer”). After many weeks of wasted time and no progress, Benjamin Franklin took a stand. He made an appeal for prayer. This appeal was so the delegates would pray before every meeting in the day. Benjamin Franklin believed that God would help the delegates find an
In the book “A Brilliant Solution: Inventing the American Constitution” by Carol Berkin she explains the constitution from start to finish from how it all began, to the debates inside the convention and finally the end product. Berkin takes the reader and puts him directly in the middle of the convention of 1786; throughout the book you can feel the excitement, the frustration, the tensions between delegates and the overall commitment to making a new government work for all.
When delegates at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia were trying to develop a new document to create a nation that would last the test of time, each delegate brought different skills to the Convention that enabled the men to create the Constitution. Each member of the Convention had varying ideas on how the document should be written and how this new nation should be created. Effective communication skills and teamwork were essential to being able to create the Constitution that created the great new United States of America. The following key members of the Convention contributed for the constitution to be created and ratified.
This essay is a review of the Decisions in Philadelphia: The Constitutional Convention of 1787. The body of this work will highlight a few of the differences found in Collier and Collier’s Decision in Philadelphia (2007) and Middlekauff’s The Glorious Cause (2005) and paint a picture for the reason for the convention, the need for a change from the Articles of Confederation, as well as some of the key takeaways from the Constitution that impact us still today. The Decision in Philadelphia highlights well the overarching theme of compromise. Compromise was and still is the cornerstone to the government in the United States of America. This essay will showcase this theme over and over as it was critical to allow for the collective good to succeed. Webster’s dictionary defines compromise as the settlement of differences by arbitration or by consent reached by mutual concessions. Compromise is further defined as the blending qualities of different things, those different things were the ideals, principles, and values of the Constitution’s framers.
Zach Theard Honors English 11 October 2016 Macdougall Patrick Henry and Jonathan Edwards Comparison Essay In both Patrick Henry’s speech, “Speech to the Virginia Convention” and Jonathan Edwards speech,“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” significant literary devices are used. Each of the speeches had a definitive purpose and main idea. In Patrick Henry’s speech he used rhetorical questions and repetition to influence their audiences.
“I took to the contrary side, perhaps a little for disputes sake.” (Franklin. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, 14.) This statement, made by Benjamin Franklin, is of great importance. He goes against the general population, whether by choice or simply
“Give me liberty, or give me death” (Wirt). This famous and unforgettable quote by delegate Patrick Henry, represents the fervor of the colonists in eighteenth century America. Realizing that America was not ready to begin anew, both economically and politically, delegates of the Philadelphia Convention began to draft a Constitution to foster the birth of the new nation. After much heated debate (and compromises), the delegates, at last, signed the Constitution of the United States of America on September 17, 1787.
This speech, when delivered would immensely inspire and encourage the audience, for it contains well-placed rhetoric devices, which evoke great emotion and empathy within people. The purpose of this speech would purely be to motivate and to persuade people to simply be themselves without concerning about society’s opinions. The speaker, who seems to be quite young, though has carefully placed literary devices that would impact audience of any age. The speech uses meticulously planned and placed rhetoric devices, which helps convey the message that everyone should just be himself or herself. The speech begins with an interesting statement instantly arousing the audience’s interest.