Question

Read the passage.

Answer 1

The central claim of Benjamin is

Those who have been slaves understand how important freedom is

Answer 2

The correct answer is: Because of British oppression, Americans should understand the plight of slaves.

The main idea of this excerpt is to appeal to Jefferson's reason by comparing the slaves' predicament to the one Americans once lived. Banneker mentions how Americans were once reduced to a "State of Servitude" by the British, how much they suffered and how much they deserve to be free after having gone through all that.

He does mention every human being was made by the same Creator, sharing the same flesh and capabilities. However, he does not say people are different because of their abilities and religions - as is stated in one of the options. His sole point here is that, if we are all the same - if we feel the same "Sensations" and have the same faculties -, then there should be no difference when it comes to freedom. Americans deserve to be free from the British. Slaves deserve to be free from slavery.