It was in between the years of 1861 and 1865 when one of the most famous, but deadliest wars in the United States happened, the Civil War. During this time Abraham Lincoln, which was the U.S. president at that given time, gave a speech known today as "The Gettysburg Address". It is also recognized as one of the most influential and best-known speeches in American History. One purpose of this speech was to honor the fallen ones, the people that died at Gettysburg and have sacrificed their lives for the sake of the country. Today we'll talk about that, the honoring of the deceased, and how the tone and parallel structure helped us analyzed that. Lincoln's purpose of the speech was to honor the dead soldiers who had fought for equality, freedom, and national unity. This can be seen in, "...that we here highly …show more content…
resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain..." Through this quote he showed that we shouldn't take the departed work in vain. We should continue working towards the progress of the nation to demonstrate that we actually appreciate what those who died have done for the country. Another quote Lincoln said is, "It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work that they have thus far so nobly carried on." This once more presents how Lincoln's priority in the speech was to honor the work it has already been done. The speech itself was developed to recognize that hard work most of us have forgotten about. The tone of the speech began very formal as Lincoln says, "Fourscore and seven years ago..." referring to the beginning of the United States.
It was then in paragraph 3 when things got more sentimental and he started reminding the public of those who have fought and lost their lives. We can see this when he starts saying, "The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our power to add or detract." This tells us how the men who have fought at Gettysburg, whether they are alive or not, have already done more than enough for the people. Therefore, we can't take away or even add more meaning to a ground that has been scared enough. Also, he says, "...great task remaining before us, that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion..." This indicates that as a way to honor the dead, we should continue to fight. And the phrase "last full measure of devotion" refers to the fact that these people have given up the most important thing they had, which was their lives. This gave the audience a melancholic feeling that it's still remembered or seen
today. Parallel structure was an important part of this address, too. It made the speech more direct and understandable so the public wouldn't misinterpret anything. An example is, "But in a large sense we cannot dedicate,—we cannot consecrate,—we cannot hallow this ground." The repetition of the idea that we can't hallow the ground gives it a more powerful thought. This is another way Lincoln was honoring the deceased, by saying that the blood already spilled on the ground is enough to honor it. So we can't "hallow" something that is already hallowed. In conclusion, the Gettysburg Address will always be an important piece of American History. The message and power of the speech is what made it to be so memorable and important. It gave us that feeling of nationalism and pride as the gratitude of the dead was being expressed. The work that they have left might not be finished, but we are in the journey to it. And one day we can finally say that equality and justice is truly what defines this nation, our nation, the United States of America.
The Gettysburg Address given by President Lincoln in the November following the Battle of Gettysburg acted as a call to arms. This speech gave the North a sense of pride and reassured them that they did have a chance at winning the Civil War. In The Gettysburg Address, Lincoln tells the audience not to let the men who died in the battle die in vain he tells them that their dedication will lead to a “new birth of freedom” in the nation(document D). This newly found sense of pride and hope led confidence which was something that the Confederate army was lacking at the
Disapproval, the Confederacy, and slavery were amongst the many crises Abraham Lincoln faced when addressing his First Inaugural speech (Lincoln, First Inaugural, p.37). Above all, Lincoln’s speech was stepping on the boundaries of the southern slave states. Once states began to secede, new territories formed and the disapproval of Lincoln grew. Despite Lincoln’s attempts of unifying the antislavery and confederate views, many whites refused to follow his untraditional beliefs. Lincoln encountered hostile and admirable emotions from the people of the Union and the Confederacy. However, despite his representation of the Union, not everyone agreed with his views.
Within a short amount of time after the election of Abraham Lincoln to the office of presidency, the south had seceded from the Union and brought on the beginning of the American Civil War. In 1863, the third year of the war, Lincoln had given a speech of the sacred battle ground at Gettysburg, most notably called the Gettysburg Address. In it, he expressed sincerity for those who fought and died there and most of all, proclaimed his aims of war itself. Walt Whitman, a celebrated poet of the time, traveled from hospital to hospital witnessing the operations of wounded soldiers and also the horrific scenes of death and amputation. His views were very much different than those of Abraham Lincoln and though not evident, were still noticeable in his writings. Last, none other than William T. Sherman himself, a Federal Army General, disclosed letters sent between him and the Confederate General, J. B. Hood and also letters sent between him and the mayor of Atlanta, James M. Calhoun. In them, he expresses his opinions about the war which, not-so-surprisingly, is very similar to Lincoln's.
'With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.' In the delivery of Lincoln's 'Second Inaugural,' many were inspired by this uplifting and keen speech. It had been a long war, and Lincoln was concerned about the destruction that had taken place. Worn-out from seeing families torn apart and friendships eradicated, he interpreted his inaugural address. It was March of 1865, and the war, he believed, must come to an end before it was too late. The annihilation that had taken place was tragic, and Lincoln brawled for a closure. The 'Second Inaugural' was very influential, formal, and emotional.
“Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live.” His use of anaphora by repeating the words “we”, “nation”,and “dedicate” to give emphasis on unity. Juxtaposition is also used in the last line by comparing the soldiers dying to be able to give the nation 's ability to live on. By choosing the words “final resting place” Lincoln and his audience is literally standing on the soldier 's final resting
At 7:30am, on Wednesday, July 1st, 1863, at the intersection of Knoxlyn Rd and US Rt. 30 Chambersburg Pike, a shot was fired by Lieutenant Marcellus Jones. This shot would not be forgotten, as it was the beginning of what would turn into one of the biggest turning points of the Civil War; The Battle of Gettysburg. This three day streak of combat would later be referred to as the “High Water Mark of the Rebellion.” With the outcome being an overall Union victory, the Battle of Gettysburg would mark the point at which the Union would place the Confederacy on the defensive and end General Robert E. Lee’s most ambitious attempt to seize Union territory. The Battle of Gettysburg was so critical, in fact, that it lead to one of the most vital documents written in United States history, the Gettysburg Address. How exactly did this battle guide President Abraham Lincoln to write the Gettysburg Address is a common question among many.
On November 19, President Lincoln went to the battlefield to dedicate it as a military cemetery. He spoke for a short period of time delivering what is called the Gettysburg Address, surprising many present in the audience with its shortness and leaving others quite unimpressed, but over time the speech has come to symbolize democracy as we know it today (Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia Vol. 11 385).
Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America "Fourscore and seven years ago ." These are the first 5 of only two hundred seventy-two words that remade America. In Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America, the author, Gary Wills, informed us that Abraham Lincoln wanted equality among us and to unite as one. In Abraham Lincoln's own speech, he would not mention single individuals or even top officers. Everyone was considered as equal importance and was never any different. "Though we call Lincoln's text the Gettysburg Address, that title clearly belongs to Everett." 1 This is very true, which I think is interesting. Everett who was chosen by David Wills to commemorate the National Cemetery of Gettysburg, was supposed to be the speaker while Lincoln was only the dedicatory remarks speaker. Not only did Lincoln have the favorable speech, it was only three minutes while Everett's was two hours long. Lincoln also supposedly was not supposed to be there to speak; he actually just told a correspondent that he would be present. It's amazing to believe that a two hundred seventy-two word speech would say so much to thousands of people.
Published widely, the Gettysburg Address eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, looking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence and the pursuit of human equality.
Four and a half months after the Union defeated the Confederacy at the Battle of Gettysburg, Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863. He gave the Union soldiers a new perspective on the war and something to fight for. Before the address, the Civil War was based solely on states’ rights. Lincoln’s speech has the essence of America and the ideals that were put into the Declaration of Independence by the founders. The sixteenth president of the United States was capable of using his speech to turn a war on states rights to a war on slavery and upholding the principles that America was founded upon. By turning the Civil War into a war that was about slavery he was able to ensure that no foreign country would recognize the south as an independent nation, thus ensuring Union success in the war. In his speech, Lincoln used the rhetorical devices of juxtaposition, repetition, and parallelism.
Lincoln’s biggest main idea in ‘’The Gettysburg Address’’ is to honor the sacrifices made on the battlefield by treating everyone equal. He states we have to make sure, ‘’...that these dead shall not have died in vain…’’(Lincoln, 1) This helped develop the central idea by being the point of persuasion.
One of Lincoln’s most famous quotes is “A House divided against itself cannot stand.” This describes his presidency well- focusing on maintaining the Union. In the beginning, Lincoln tried to stay out of sensitive affairs involving the North and South in an attempt to keep them together, promising the South little interference. Despite this, he played a key role in passing the Thirteenth Amendment, doing whatever it takes to end slavery for good and ending the Civil War.
Four and a half months after the Union defeated the Confederacy at the Battle of Gettysburg, Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863. He gave the Union soldiers a new perspective on the war and a reason to fight in the Civil War. Before the address, the Civil War was based on states’ rights. Lincoln’s speech has the essence of America and the ideals that were instilled in the Declaration of Independence by the Founders. The sixteenth president of the United States was capable of using his speech to turn a war on states’ rights into a war on slavery and upholding the principles that America was founded upon.
The Gettysburg Address was presented by United States President Abraham Lincoln on November 19th, 1863. The speech was delivered during the American Civil War at the dedication of the Soldiers ' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The context of the speech is that four months earlier, Union armies defeated those of the Confederacy at the Battle of Gettysburg. The stated purpose of Lincoln’s speech was to dedicate a plot of land that would become the Soldier’s National Cemetery to honour the fallen. However, as the Civil War still raged he needed to extol liberty and honor in the people fighting in order for them to persevere. Lincoln used a range of techniques throughout his address including, referencing, contrast, repetition and inclusive language, which is what made it so effective.
His use of the word “we” is very impactful in his speech. It creates a bond with the audience. With this word, Lincoln implies that is not about him or them, but it is about all of them. It is about them coming together, and being unified. Lincoln repeats the word “here” a lot as well. By repeating this word, he declares Gettysburg the springboard that will help them move forward. The repetition of the word “here” goes hand-in-hand with his call to action. He tells the audience that he believes that the Civil War must go on and that they must finish the fight that the men who died already started. It is up to them to finish up the task. Lincoln’s use of the word “dedicate” means several things in his speech. He uses the word to acknowledge that the land they are standing on is being dedicated to those who lost their lives during the bloodiest war in history. He also uses this word to tell the audience that they should dedicate themselves to finishing up the war. Lastly, he repeats the word “nation” to remind the audience that their country was built on the ideas of liberty and equality, and that a war is worth fighting to uphold these ideals. The war is being fought to preserve the nation, to keep it whole, just as they, the people, should be a