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  • Essay / Analysis of Thomas Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia...

    In “Notes on the State of Virginia,” Thomas Jefferson includes some proposed changes to Virginia laws and discusses some differences among blacks and white people. First, it describes one of the proposed revisions regarding slavery: All slaves born after the enactment of the amendment shall be freed; they will live with their parents until a certain age, then be fed at state expense and sent out of state to form their own colonies to avoid intermarriage and conflict between blacks and whites. Next, Jefferson points out some physical differences between blacks and whites, including skin color, hair, amount of exudates secreted by the kidneys and glands, level of sweating, structure of the lung organ, the amount of sleep and calmness in the face of danger. As he notes, these differences emphasize that black people are inferior to white people in terms of bodies. Furthermore, Jefferson also claims that black people's reasoning and imagination are far inferior to white people's after observing certain black people's artwork and writings. Therefore, based on his observation, he concludes that white people are superior to black people both physically and mentally. However, Jefferson's reliance on sweeping generalizations, question-asking, and insulting language in his analysis is a huge flaw that ruins the credibility of his argument and offends his readers. Throughout the excerpt, Jefferson uses sweeping generalizations to support his arguments. Instead of providing readers with appropriate evidence and statistics for the entire population, Jefferson uses generalization without providing appropriate evidence or statistics to convince readers of his arguments; not only does this discourage readers from believing his argument, but...in the middle of the paper......ootans are attracted to black women, Jefferson may offend some readers. As a result, using insulting language can irritate and offend readers and cause them to stop reading Jefferson's work. Jefferson's use of strategies and language is ineffective in making his points and persuading readers of his arguments. Using hasty generalizations, asking questions, and using insulting language in his analysis is a huge flaw that diminishes the credibility of his argument and offends his readers. Jefferson should use other argumentative strategies and refrain from using insulting language in order to convince readers of his arguments. Works Cited Jefferson, Thomas. “Notes on the State of Virginia.” » Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing. Ed. Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, Bonnie Lisle. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin, 2010. 378-383.