Gettysburg Address Informative Essay

On November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the cemetery for Union Soldiers who had perished during the Battle of Gettysburg, two people gave speeches. This cemetery is the Gettysburg National Cemetery today. It used to be called Soldier’s National Cemetery. The first was Edward Everett, who spoke for an entire two hours. He was the featured speaker of the event. An orchestra played a hymn after his speech. The second was President Abraham Lincoln’s two minute speech, also known as the Gettysburg Address. The Gettysburg Address is the most quoted and memorized in the history of America. It is one of the most important speeches in American history. Lincoln had prepared for this speech very well.

He saw this as a chance to talk about the significance of war to

He used his address to state the meaning of the Civil War. He honored the Union soldiers and the purpose of their sacrifice. He included the quote, “all men are created equal,” in his speech. This quote addressed the prospect of human equality and the sacrifices made for freedom in the Civil War. Many people were inspired by this speech. Read the full Gettysburg Address here

They Gettysburg Address’s length contrasted with Everett’s two hour long speech. Everett wrote this to Lincoln, "I should be glad, if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes." The audience consisted of about 15,000 people. They were shocked at the duration of Lincoln’s speech compared to Everett’s speech. The Gettysburg Address was overlooked and forgotten during Lincoln’s lifetime. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address seemed simple and direct at the time, but had a more significant meaning of equality and preserving