In a very humble and quick speech Abraham Lincoln not only honorably confers a departure to the soldiers who gave their lives for their country, but also unites a nation under a common goal. Through his rhetorical usage of repetition and parallelism Lincoln delivers his chief message of unity as a nation. In Abraham Lincoln’s revolutionary and celebrated speech “The Gettysburg Address,” Lincoln’s use of superior rhetoric and leadership reignites the American people’s passion and desire to come together for a common goal.
Lincoln immediately grabs the audience's attention with a reference to the past and to future: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal” ("Gettysburg ”). In this brief oration, he spoke of how democracy itself rested upon the proposition that all men are created equal. This statement during this time period was profound and politically risky statement for the time. Slavery and the doctrine of states' rights would not hold in the "more perfect union" of Lincoln's vision Four score and seven is much sophisticated than simply saying eighty-seven. This is appropriate because 87 years prior the United States won its freedom from Great Britain ("Gettysburg Address”). Lincoln gives the audience a recap of the foundation of which the country was founded on liberty and equality. This is a perfect footing for the next sentence of the speech: “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure” ("The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln”). Lincoln indicates that a challenge must be faced head on and that the p...
... middle of paper ...
...ation of Independence and associated the sacrifices of the Civil War with a desire for a new birth of freedom, as well as the preservation of the United States of America and its principle of self-government. In the years to follow, the Gettysburg Address would endure as perhaps the most-quoted, most-memorized piece of oratory in American history.
Works Cited
"Gettysburg Address." Gettysburg Address. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
Peters, John U. "Lincoln's 'Gettysburg Address'." Explicator 60.1 (2001): 22-24. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
"Speech Analysis: Gettysburg Address – Abraham Lincoln." Six Minutes RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
Watson, Martha. "Ordeal By Fire: The Transformative Rhetoric Of Abraham Lincoln." Rhetoric And Public Affairs 3.1 (2000): 33-48. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
Dilorenzo, Thomas J.. The Real Lincoln: a new look at Abraham Lincoln, his agenda, and an unnecessary war. Roseville, Calif: Prima, 2002
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
On July 1st, 1863 Confederate General Robert E. Lee and Union General George C. Meade transformed Gettysburg, Pennsylvania into a battleground for the Civil War,the battle ended July 3rd, 1863. David Wills was charged by Pennsylvania 's Governor Andrew Curtin to clean up after the battle, part of the battlefield was converted into a gravel site for the soldiers. Later on November 2nd, 1863 President Abraham Lincoln received an invitation from Wills to speak at the dedication ceremony for the soldiers who lost their lives.
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.
Lincoln’s Famous Address written by Roselynn Marquez talks about how Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address was only 270 words, and it followed a two hour introduction by Edward Everett. Being short was not the only memorable point that the speech had. “Another was the simplicity of its language. As historian Allen Guelzo notes, ‘the address relies on crisp, plain vocabulary.’ He points out that most of the words are only one-syllable. Doris Kearns Goodwin concludes, ‘Lincoln had translated the story of his country...into words and ideas accessible to every American.’ By making his ideas easy to grasp, Lincoln gave them directness and power” (Marquez). The Gettysburg Address to this day is known as a unforgettable expression inscribing the war that took on in the country. In summarization, Abraham Lincoln is known widely for the Address he made in Gettysburg after the battle that took place
Neely, Mark Jr. The Last Best Hope of Earth: Abraham Lincoln and the Promise of America. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1995.
Two of the most important, and, perhaps the two most important documents in American history are the Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address. The Declaration of Independence, the document of secession written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, called for the complete independence of the states from the British Empire. The Gettysburg Address was a document on the theory of union that stressed the need for one united country and expressed the importance of doing whatever necessary to complete the task of keeping the states united as one. It was written and delivered by Abraham Lincoln in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania at a cemetery dedication for soldiers who had died in the famous Civil War battle there.
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.
‘’Four score and seven years ago…’’(Lincoln, 1) You’ve probably heard those six words before, right? On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered ‘’The Gettysburg Address’’. Abraham Lincoln’s purpose in ‘’The Gettysburg Address’’ was to persuade listeners to finish what those who fought for died for by treating everyone else equally. ‘’The Gettysburg Address’’ is the most compelling speech due to its use of rhetorical devices.
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 to a war on slavery and upholding the principles that America was founded upon. By turning the Civil War into a war about slavery he effortlessly ensured that no foreign country would recognize the South as an independent nation, ensuring Union success in the war. In his speech, Lincoln used the rhetorical devices of juxtaposition, repetition, and parallelism, to touch the hearts of its listeners.
Abraham Lincoln, Letter to Salmon P. Chase (September 2, 1863), in Abraham Lincoln, Slavery, and the Civil war, Ed. Michael P. Johnson (Boston: Bedford Books, 2011)
Lincoln's conquering of his audience's mentality starts at the very beginning of the speech, where he started with an allusion to build up the base of the emotion for the entire speech, the seriousness. ''All men are created equal.'' (35) The phrase from the Declaration of Independence prepares the audience for what is coming next. The Declaration of Independence is not for entertaining; the topic of the speech must be heavy and serious. Starting with a strong phrase grabs the audience's attention instantly. Also, for setting up the mood of the speech, Lincoln i...
Beardsley, Frank. "American History: The American Civil War: Lincoln's Gettysburg Address (VOA Special English 2005-04-20)." Interesting Things for ESL/EFL Students (Fun English Study). Www.manythings.org. Web. 12 June 2011. .