Read the following excerpt from Susan B. Anthony's speech "On Women's Right to Vote" and think about how the speaker tries to persuade her audience.

Question

Webster, Worcester, and Bouvier all define a citizen to be a person in the United States, entitled to vote and hold office.
The only question left to be settled now is: Are women persons? And I hardly believe any of our opponents will have the hardihood to say they are not. Being persons, then, women are citizens; and no state has a right to make any law, or to enforce any old law, that shall abridge their privileges or immunities. Hence, every discrimination against women in the constitutions and laws of the several states is today null and void, precisely as is every one against Negroes.
What kind of persuasive appeal does Anthony use in this excerpt?

appeals to ethics

appeals to emotion

counterarguments

appeals to logic

Answer 1

In this excerpt from Susan B. Anthony's speech, she predominantly uses appeals to logic. She starts by referencing definitions of "citizen" from reputable sources, such as Webster and Worcester, to establish a logical foundation for her argument. She then poses a rhetorical question about whether women are persons, suggesting that if they are recognized as persons, they must also be recognized as citizens. This logical progression aims to demonstrate that any discrimination against women is unjustifiable and thus void. Additionally, she draws a parallel between the treatment of women and that of African Americans, further appealing to logical reasoning by suggesting that discrimination against any group undermines the principles of citizenship.