preview

Gettysburg Speech : The Gettysburg Address

Good Essays

At the time when our country was divided and the Civil War was ongoing, a President delivered one of the most influential speeches of all time; The Gettysburg Address. On November 19, 1863, four months after the Battle at Gettysburg former President Abraham Lincoln addressed the weary soldiers, the deceased soldiers’ family members, and many other citizens that traveled far and wide to attend the dedication ceremony. The dedication was for the Soldiers’ National Cemetery, in the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Over 20,000 people were in attendance, they witnessed first had a powerful and heartfelt speech. Furthermore, it became one of the greatest masterpieces of all time. With 227 words Lincoln planted the seed in the hearts and minds of the people in attendance, with the notion of reforming the nation by discussing the Declaration of Independence, slavery, honoring the dead, dedication to the cause, and new birth of freedom. (LaFantasie 74) The conflict regarding the continuance of slavery, was the major cause of the Civil War. Lincoln stated the fact that we were in a “great civil war, testing whether this nation can endure”. One of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War occurred at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where approximately 8,000 Confederate and Union soldiers lost their lives. The nation was divided between the North and the South, this division had the potential to tear the nation apart. Fathers, sons, brothers, neighbors were fighting other fathers, sons,

Get Access