Argumentative Essay On The Gettysburg Address

520 Words2 Pages

While in the mists of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863. Abraham Lincoln was the president at the time from 1861 through 1865 and was one of the most memorable Presidents of the time. President Abraham Lincoln’s speech was 272 words long and lasted two through three minutes. By making this speech so short, he accomplished his goal to keep this audience attentive and collective of what he was saying. To keep his speech short, he used very specific and meaningful words to connect and emphasize the meaning of his speech to his audience during a time of fear and uncertainty. President Lincoln was very specific by the words he choose in his speech. He begins the speech with the phrase “Four score and seven years ago”.(Lincoln) His intent in doing this was a …show more content…

He used phrases like “a new birth of freedom” (Lincoln) to let the audience know what his purpose was but his word choice of “new” and “birth” were chosen over a word like reform to demonstrate to the audience that it was not like the old way but a brand new start and a new way to view the nation at war. The president also makes a statement ensuring the American citizens “that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”(Lincoln) This statement was what he ended his speech off of and would be the last words people heard in a time of fear and need. The biggest question that people still ask to this day is, did Lincoln achieve his goals and why is his speech so memorable. Yes, President Lincoln achieved his goals as seen today of the equality almost everyone, but there will always be those few who believe in the old ways of segregation and judgmental over ethnicity and religion. This speech is memorable because of the time it was spoken and the message it brought the nation about suffering in the

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