Gettysburg Address: Main Idea
Gettysburg Address: Main Idea
Down, but Not Out
When President Lincoln spoke in November 1863, the United States was at its most fragile point since Washington's winter at Valley Forge. The North had repelled an attack on their home soil but, as in a bunch of battles throughout the Civil War, the casualty count was high.
Really high.
Life was difficult for those at home and out in the fray. So when the time came to honor the dead from this important battle, the president took the occasion to remind the Union that they were fighting not just to reunite the country…but to uphold the principles of equality and freedom. That's some stirring rhetoric, right there.
Questions
- Arguably the two most important works of Abraham Lincoln's presidency are the Gettysburg Address and the Emancipation Proclamation. Both had profound ramifications on the course of the Civil War and American history as a whole. Which do you think was more important—and why?
- By some estimates, there were 15,000 spectators out in the middle of nowhere, Pennsylvania, for the president's address. Who do you think these people were? Who was the speech's target audience?
- In the opening lines of his speech, Abraham Lincoln conjured up memories of the all-important founders of the country, tacitly implying that they were on his side in this war against the South. Based on your knowledge of these figures, what do you think their reaction would be to the Gettysburg Address? And do you agree that they would have backed Lincoln's cause to reunify the country?
Chew On This
Lincoln's Gettysburg Address was instrumental in rekindling the spark in Northern troops and led to the successful resolution of the Civil War.
The Civil War continued for several more years following Lincoln's speech at Gettysburg, so the speech wasn't the key to ending the war—after all, actions speak louder than words.
Quotes
Quote #1
Fourscore 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. (1)
Boom. It's a wonder Lincoln didn't just drop the mic right there. In one line, the president managed to sum up the accomplishments of the Founding Fathers and at the same time stress their commitment to liberty and equality…even as understanding of the terms shifted in the wake of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Quote #2
The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. (8)
Although he was wrong on the first two counts, President Lincoln (and those throughout the country) realized the enormity of the battle that had played out over the course of three days in July. Although the Civil War would continue for several more years, the Battle of Gettysburg would be seen as a turning point in the struggle and the high-water mark for Confederate strength.
Quote #3
It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. (9)
If real estate agents and PR people have one thing in common, it's an appreciation for location. While Lincoln was an inordinately good speaker, the somber setting gave his words added weight. Just to drive the point home, bodies were still being buried during the ceremony.
Quote #4
[…] 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 earth. (10)
President Lincoln characterized the current rough patch as fertile soil from which a new nation would rise and broke down precisely why it was worth protecting. The promise of American democracy must live on.