The Noble Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln

811 Words2 Pages

The respectable Gettysburg Address promotes the skillful ideas that spread his wisdom of the Civil War and enlightened those who wished to respect the many dead that fought on the grounds of Gettysburg. Sprinkled throughout human history, great men have arisen, who have devoted much of their lives to certain ideals, and have done so in the face of grave circumstances and opposition. Abraham Lincoln, Former president and also a general in the war, gave a speech to uphold and encourage the spirits of the weary soldiers in his army. The speech was called the Gettysburg Address. This speech uses parallel structure and determines the tone of powerful tranquility so that it may convey to an idea that all the men that fought for their part in the Union will not perish in vain and that there is a lot to do before the United States is whole.

The purpose of his speech was to rally the people and to focus their attention on the need to win the war so that the ideals of the founding fathers would be upheld. As Lincoln stated "...That government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." Comparing to the ideas of the founding fathers, he relates to government and democracy and with these two things the Union will achieve their goal. He wished to raise morale of the soldiers and wanted to ensure that the people that were listening would eventually understand why they were in this big mess and that the nation cannot be divided again. He did not discriminate between North and South yet henceforth honored all the soldiers with the upmost gratitude for their service. “Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition th...

... middle of paper ...

... these soldiers so willing to lay their lives on the line. Our resolve to carry forward with “increased devotion” is the only assurance to our nation carrying forward. This was then and is still today, “the great task remaining before us.”

The purpose and key points of the Gettysburg Address was to honor those brave soldiers that fought in the battles. He also stresses the importance of liberty, freedom, and equality. He wants the nation to be united stronger and that they will improve the future generations. He wants everyone to realize that they have a part to play and only when they realize their part will the nation be strong. The Gettysburg Address tells the people of America that even if many are lost that, the quest is not finished, that there is still much to be done before they can feel free and live their life through the freedom graced upon them by God.

Show More
Related

  • Battle Of Gettysburg DBQ

    456 Words  | 1 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Richard Hofstadter's American Political Tradition By Abraham Lincoln

    1213 Words  | 3 Pages

    By the time of his speech South Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas had already seceded from the Union. In his speech Lincoln had three main points: “to hold, occupy, and possess the property and places belonging to the government,” secession was impossible because the Union was unbreakable, and that any use of arms against the United States would be met with force but he would never be first to attack (Grafton 80). Lincoln aspired to increase his support in the North without alienating the South where most disliked him in fear of the end of slavery. In his speech however, Lincoln made it clear that his intention was not to interfere with slavery quoting “I have no purpose, directly, or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so” (Grafton 81). In hope to make amends with the South Lincoln closed by saying “We are not enemies, but friends. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield, and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearthstone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature” (Grafton 81). Although meant to unify the North and South, this address had a larger impact on another

    Read More

  • Juxtaposition In The Gettysburg Address

    1025 Words  | 3 Pages

    He is reminding us what is expected of us from that point forward. Repeating the word “people” he wanted his ideas cemented in the heads of his audience. “It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the

    Read More

  • Gettysburg Address Dbq Essay

    489 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Abraham Lincoln's Famous Address, And The Rise Of A President

    686 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Great American Presidents: Abraham Lincoln

    1153 Words  | 3 Pages

    Abraham Lincoln’s greatest challenge during his presidency was preserving the Union during the Civil War after the Southern states seceded from the Union. There were many dividing issues in the U.S. before his election in 1860, and his presidential victory was the final straw that led to the Civil War. The North and the South were already separating due to regional differences, socially, politically, culturally, and economically. Slavery was one of the biggest factors that led to the division between the North and the South. Preserving the Union while half of the country refused to regard federal law while in secession was extremely challenging, yet Abraham Lincoln decided to fight war against the South not only for the sake of abolishing slavery, but most importantly for the sake of preserving the Union. He was dedicated to fighting for the equality of all men in the U.S., as mentioned in his famous Gettysburg Address: "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." He used this to argue a basic point: if all men are created equal, then all men are free. His House Divided speech showed his determination to keep the...

    Read More

  • Lincoln At Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America

    1132 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Lincoln Assassination Outline

    2605 Words  | 6 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Battle Of Gettysburg Research Paper

    1660 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Civil War is one of the defining wars in the history of this great nation. The Battle of Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle in American history, and a turning point in the four year war. At the time, Gettysburg was a small, quiet town generally unaffected by the war. General Robert E. Lee of the Confederate States of America and General George Meade of the Union converged in Gettysburg, and a conflict quickly arose. After three long days of battle the Union pulled away with a victory, though not an easy one. This essay will outline the six themes of history; in essence the who, what, when, where, why, and who cares of this infamous battle.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis of The Gettysburg Address

    778 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Gettysburg Address was not successful when it was first presented to those who attended the dedication for the fallen of the Battle of Gettysburg. Lincoln surprised all at the event with his speech by its shortness. The address is considered to be the definition on the ideas that the United States was founded upon. Before the Civil War began the United States were seen as only a collection of states. The Gettysburg address was an attempt to unite the nation. Lincoln passed on his belief that the nation must be united and that a “new birth of freedom” would be created, or the nation would “perish from the world” if the Union failed.

    Read More

  • Pathos In The Gettysburg Address

    822 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Lincoln Inaugural Address Analysis

    1028 Words  | 3 Pages

    He had just beaten out George B. McClellan for president. McClellan wanted the country split into two- one slave-holding and one free. However, the country had chosen Lincoln, they wanted the country to stay together. People wanted too much of Lincoln. He would have enemies no matter what choice he made. So now, instead of staying passive like he did in his first Inaugural Address, he took a stand in his second. He told the country that God sent the slaves to them early in this country, but now He wanted them gone. The war was a punishment from God for all slaveholders. Lincoln made this a rallying cry for all northerners, telling them that they would fight “until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword.” This war would be bloody, but if they could only keep fighting a little more, there would be success at the

    Read More

  • Gettysburg Address Rhetorical Analysis

    893 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lincoln had numerous purposes for the Gettysburg Address. Firstly, it was to be used to dedicate the land where the Battle of Gettysburg had taken place as a cemetery for the fallen troops of both the North and the South, the most apparent and central reason for his address. His second purpose for the address was to transform the war on states’ rights to a war on slavery and upholding the ideals that the Founders had authored in the Declaration of Independence. By doing this, Lincoln was capable to manipulate countries, such as England and France who had not been fond of slavery for decades, in making them loath the Confederacy and ensure other nations would not recognize the Confederacy as a nation.

    Read More

  • abe

    635 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lincoln’s optimistic tone encourages all Americans to put behind them the Civil War and progress forward as a united nation once more. President Lincoln calls to action all the peoples of America with sentences such as, “let us strive on to finish the work we are in” and “ to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace”. The tone that President Lincoln capitalizes on is purposefully optimistic because he hopes to end the war and move past the issue of slavery, among others, which has divided the nation, and he wishes to safeguard the nations reunification. Lincoln’s tone also has hortative sentences such as asking the American people to “strive”. President Lincoln also wishes to rid both sides of any grudges or rancor they may feel towards one another for the war by reflecting that “all sought to avert it” and by articulating, “Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it…attained”. And towards the end of his speech, Lincoln calls the nation to be unified “with malice towards none, with charity for all” so that their minds and souls may be cleared of any ill will in order for the nation’s reunification to be permanent and not just superficial. President Lincoln evokes the nation as a whole to a higher degree in hop...

    Read More

  • The Gettysburg Address

    800 Words  | 2 Pages

    How can a speech gain complete resonance, or agreement from its audience in a short amount of time? Abraham Lincoln's most famous speech was a great example for gaining the audience's spirits. ''The Gettysburg Address'' was given on November 19, 1863, after the Union won the Battle of Gettysburg. In the speech, Lincoln emphasized the importance and necessity of the Civil War, which was, in his point of view, still worth fighting, despite the horrors of the war. Lincoln did not only argue for his point straightforwardly and list several reasons to support it, but also skillfully apply to audience's rising patriot emotion along with the speech. At the end os the speech, Lincoln successfully gave his audience the passion to keep on fighting the Civil War. By building up his audience's loyal and intensity feelings as well as the speech's climax at the same time, Lincoln's strong argument and expression let people realize and remember what was worth them to fight, the Union. By fully gaining people's minds and attention, Lincoln heartened his audience, touched their deep emotion, and won his audience's resonances with him and his idea that this war is still worth fighting.

    Read More

More about The Noble Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln

Open Document