Ideals on the Gettysburg Address

On the afternoon of Thursday, November 19, 1863 the U.S. president , Abraham Lincoln, gave a speech in Gettysburg Pennsylvania . That speech was delivered at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery under a honey locust tree. This speech is one of the most quoted speeches in the United States’ history. Lincoln carefully crafted this address. This speech is regarded as one of the greatest speeches in American history at two minutes. On July first, second ,and third of 1863, more than 160,000 soldiers died in the battle of Gettysburg. This battle had a major impact on the town of Gettysburg which had 2,400 inhabitants. The town planned to buy a fraction of land for the soldiers and asked all the family members of the deceased to pray for their loved ones that played a part in this horrendous war.

Abraham Lincoln was tying to tell us several things in the Gettysburg Address. He was trying to introduce a new birth of freedom and he was tying to tell us all men are created equal. He described his vision for “a new birth of freedom". Lincoln's speech puts the Civil War in perspective as a test of the success of the great American Revolution. When Lincoln was purchasing the land, he was saying in his speech” But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract“ (Abraham Lincoln, Nov. 19,1863, Gettysburg Address) . He was mentioning that this land is not a dedication or burial ground , but land that has already been declared by those brave men in the battle that are living and are dead. He also mentioned” 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“ (Abraham Lincoln Nov. 19 1863, Gettysburg Address). He means the spirits of the deceased march upon those grounds even today.


The ideals presented in the Gettysburg Address pertain to the people in the past ,present ,and future. Lincoln said “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”(Abraham Lincoln, Nov. 19, 1863, Gettysburg Address). Through out history, racism has been practiced in many ways . In the 1960s , their was conflict between some whites and African Americans. Until the late 1700s ,African Americans were brought through slave trade. In Lincoln’s speech, he was against that. When our fathers brought forth on this new continent , we were dedicated to the propisition that all men are created equal. In the civil war , we fought for freedom. Today , we live freely through out the country .


Sevral people today do not know how the Gettysburg Address affected people in that time. It later made those people in that time realize what those valiant men did for our war-torn nation of 1863. The Gettysburg Address was not considered a great success at the moment it was heard. Some eye-witness reports say there was little applause. However , every body in the United States of America today has at least heard of it before. Some of the drafts are currently held at the Gettysburg Address exhibit at the Library of Congress in Washington ,D.C. The Gettysburg Address will always be a reminder of several things. It is a reminder of what those courageous men did in that battle , a reminder of freedom, honor, and much more.




Works Cited
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"Review of Key Objectives & Critical Success Factors." Peter Norvig. 23 Oct. 2008 .

"The Gettysburg Address (Library of Congress Exhibition)." Library of Congress Home. 26 Oct. 2008 .

"The Gettysburg Address Text Meaning and Impact." Visit Gettysburg, Historical Battlefields and Small Town Charm. 24 Oct. 2008 .