Question

Read the excerpt from the Declaration of Independence.

Nor have We been wanting in attention to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity.

What is the author’s purpose in this excerpt?

to inform readers about British immigration to the colonies
to convince readers that Britain has treated the colonists unfairly
to inform readers about specific acts of British military aggression
to convince readers that American colonists should be tried in Britain

Answer 1

to convince readers that Britain has treated the colonists unfairly

Reason: the passage recounts repeated appeals to British justice and concludes that Britain ignored them — a persuasive argument that the colonists were wronged, not a factual report about immigration, specific military acts, or trial venues.