How does Phillis Wheatley's letter to Samson Occum compare to the Benjamin Bannekar's letter to Thomas Jefferson? What basic (fundamental) beliefs do these two Black Enlightenment thinkers share? What can you infer about what was important to members of the Black Enlightenment clique?
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Phillis Wheatley's letter to Samson Occum shows that Negroes are equal. Benjamin Bannekar's letter to Thomas Jefferson persuade Jefferson that slavery is unjust. It advocates for black freedom. They both wanted freedom for enslaves and they are both persistent. They both are religious. Bannekar uses the quote "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal..."(DOI). The person who wrote the DOI is Thomas Jefferson so technically Bannekar is using Jefferson words to persuade Jefferson. The important was that to help the enslaves gain their freedom.
Phillis Wheatley's letter to Samson Occum was telling him that black people have natural rights and shouldn't have to believe in a religion they don't want to believe in. Banneker wrote his letter to Thomas Jefferson to persuade him into getting his support for racial equality. Banneker uses phrases such as," I hope you can't help but acknowledge the duty..." to express that this is wrong and that they should be able to see that. They both believe that blacks should be seen as equals and have their freedom.
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