Gettysburg Address By Lincoln Rallied A Tired Nation To Fight On
The Gettysburg Address, delivered by Lincoln on Nov. 19, 1863, remains an inspiration to Americans 147 years later. The Gettysburg Address took place on the fields where the Battle of Gettysburg-the clash historians consider the tipping point within the Civil War-was fought. When he gave the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln spoke for only 2 minutes, however his words were so eloquent and profound that they represent what the American individuals prefer to believe their country represents to this day.
Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg Address
`The dedication of the Soldiers National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Penn., had been where the Gettysburg Address was given by Abraham Lincoln. Though the Union army had defeated the Confederates at Gettysburg, the carnage had been so horrible that anti-war sentiment had reached a fever pitch. There were New York draft riots, and opposition Democrats wanted to oust Lincoln and make concessions with the Confederacy. The stakes were high, and Lincoln made one of the most of his possibility to rally the nation with a speech that began with the famous line “Four score and seven years ago.”.
Importance of specifics in Gettysburg address
In order to show why Lincoln wanted the Civil War to swing his way, he honored the victims at the Battle of Gettysburg. The battlefield was dedicated by him. He said it was “as a final resting place for many who here gave their lives that the nation might live.” Ironically, he said “The world will little note, nor long don’t forget what we say here.” ”The last full measure of devotion” was what he described the soldiers’ sacrifice as. He also said that “these dead shall not have died in vain” in his speech. He then ended his speech. To do this he said that the “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
The Battle of Gettysburg
Gettysburg, Penn., had the union and confederate soldiers fighting. July 1-3, 1863, 172,000 soldiers were fighting. The fight left bodies to rot in the sun. There were 8,000 men and 5,000 horses killed. About 50,000 Americans were hurt on both sides. In the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg, Confederate general Robert E. Lee retreated with his decimated force back to Virginia with the Union army hot on his heels.
Info from
Time
newsfeed.time.com/2010/11/19/seven-score-and-seven-years-ago-what-you-dont-know-about-the-gettysburg-address/
Washington Post
washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/artsandliving/civilwar/timeline.html
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gettysburg#Casualties
