Jefferson tries to persuade them in two ways. One thing he does is to list all of the offenses that England allegedly committed against the colonists. This was meant to make people feel sorry for the colonists and angry at England. More famously, Jefferson was trying to explain why the colonists had the right to rebel. This was why he discussed the idea that the purpose of government was to secure people's rights. He was trying to persuade the public that the British government deserved to be overthrown because it was not protecting the people and their God-given rights. Hope this helps!! :)