The Lincoln Assasination's Impact on Walt Whitman Essay

Many individual soldier’s stories also demonstrate the resilience of either side, showing how unwilling they were to give up, and stop fighting, until absolutely necessary. Even John Hay’s efforts to get Florida to join upcoming United States political gatherings, show the unwavering pursuit for unity from the Union’s side.

Today, the Battle of Gettysburg is considered one of the most important battles of the American Civil War. However, with 23,049 casualties on the Union side and 28,063 on the Confederate side, it can also be considered one of the bloodiest (Civil War Trust). Such heavy losses naturally rattled the entire nation and Americans on both sides began to question the war and what it stood for. As Americans gathered together at the consecration ceremony of the Gettysburg National Cemetery, the much acclaimed orator and politician Edward Everett delivered what was meant to be the Gettysburg Address. Yet, today, it is not Edward Everett’s Gettysburg Address that the world remembers, but Abraham Lincoln’s, who was invited to the ceremony almost as an afterthought. Lincoln’s 272 words helped remake America by giving hope to its citizens at a time when they were at their lowest.

That was the reason for the visit to Gettysburg. It was a trip with Edward Everett to dedicate a newly created cemetery that was must needed in the country at the time due to all the fallen during the war. President Lincoln followed Mr. Everett’s two hour speech with his two minute speech which was decided in nature to sum up what Mr. Everett just talked about. A key thing to remember in the Gettysburg address was the importance not to forget about the fallen young Soldier’s on the battle field. This is mentioned in the in the second sentence of the second paragraph “ We have come to dedicate a portion of it, as a final resting place for those who died here, that the nation might live”. What the President is talking about is the importance of not just remembering the fallen but also reminding the audience of why they died. They died believing in a cause; weather it’s about uniting the country or making two separate

In the essay, “Death of Abraham Lincoln” Walt Whitman critiques societies tendency to respect dead influential figures more than the living ones through the crowd’s reaction of Abraham Lincoln before and after his murder.

In the last paragraph of the speech, President Lincoln is telling the American people that the proper way to honor the brave soldiers is to dedicate and devote your life to the country, one which there will be, “a new birth of freedom.” Lincoln points out this government will represent all the people, and will remain forever. President Lincoln, through this speech is trying heal the nation that is divided by the great Civil War, and offering

“With malice towards none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as god gives us to see the right, let us strive to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nations wounds; to care for him who shall borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphaned child-to do all which may be achieved and cherished a just and a lasting peace among ourselves, and with all other nations”-Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address (Great Documents of America 19).

John Wilkes Booth, born May 10, 1838, was an actor who performed throughout the country in many plays. He was the lead in some of William Shakespeare's most famous works. Additionally, he was a racist and Southern sympathizer during the Civil War. He hated Abraham Lincoln who represented everything Booth was against. Booth blamed Lincoln for all the South's ills. He wanted revenge.

Watching his comrades fall, killing Yankees, and dealing with the aftermath on the battlefield and in hospitals was a terrifying experience. Watkins was once admitted to a hospital for bullet wounds and after leaving, he vowed to never enter one again. He wrote of piles of arms and legs two to three feet high at the end of tables used for amputation. (Watkins and Inge 170-1) In Shelbyville, Tennessee, Watkins watched as a boy in his late teens, named Wright, was shot to death with musketry. After describing the death, Watkins wrote, “I turned away and thought how long . . . will I have to witness these things?” (Watkins and Inge

Another story of Lincoln’s was about a boy who was required to climb under a ship in dry dock to knock away the trigger in order to launch the boat. Every time the boy performed his task he would yell as if he were being crushed to death. The boy was never hurt, he just made a fuss so that all around understood how difficult his task was and that he was there doing it (Phillips, 1993). At the time of its telling, Lincoln was comparing a particularly difficult northern state governor to the boy. The governor was making anguished cries against instituting a draft. Lincoln compared his cries for attention to the boy launching the ship. The governor was not really hurt by the draft, but

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States of America. He was elected into presidency on November 6, 1860. Many of the southern states were unsupportive of Lincoln becoming president because he had run on an anti-slavery platform. Lincoln being elected into presidency caused states such as South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas to split from the Union. In his inaugural address Lincoln proclaimed it was his duty to maintain the Union; a month later the Civil War began. Although Lincoln did many great things for our country, his vital role in the Civil War is what most likely lead to his assassination.

Within a short amount of time after the election of Abraham Lincoln to the office of presidency, the south had seceded from the Union and brought on the beginning of the American Civil War. In 1863, the third year of the war, Lincoln had given a speech of the sacred battle ground at Gettysburg, most notably called the Gettysburg Address. In it, he expressed sincerity for those who fought and died there and most of all, proclaimed his aims of war itself. Walt Whitman, a celebrated poet of the time, traveled from hospital to hospital witnessing the operations of wounded soldiers and also the horrific scenes of death and amputation. His views were very much different than those of Abraham Lincoln and though not evident, were still noticeable

Abraham Lincoln is by far our most revered president in the history of the United States. He had a strong moral vision of where his country must go to preserve and enlarge the rights of all her people, but he was also a good man with a strong sense of character and a great discipline in the art of law; and he sought to continue the great and mighty legacy of the Constitution. He believed that the Founding Fathers had drawn up the Constitution without the mention of slavery because they felt that it would later die of a natural death. He would soon learn that that would not be the case.

As I was walking home on the newly paved cement sidewalk, I heard two people talking about the war and how the first battle between the union and the confederates has started. The only thing I could think of was my father fighting. So I told myself that everything would be alright.

Walt Whitman writes his poem When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d from the memories of President Lincoln. Walt Whitman makes the narrator of the story use imagery and symbolism to mourn the death of President Lincoln. In the first part of the poem the narrator states: “And the great star early droop’d in the western sky in the night.” (Whitman 2), and, “O powerful western fallen star.” (Whitman 7) When the narrator states this he is using the western sky to represent the passing of Lincoln and the powerful western fallen star to represent Lincoln himself as well.

During a play at Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C., our heroic President was assassinated. The president’s wife, Mary, had convinced her husband to attend, “Our American Cousin,” the play, on that fateful night on April 14th, 1865. It was only a few days after the Civil War ended. Mary later spoke with the press and said in tears, “I told him to come; I actually begged him to. I said to him, ‘Please come, you won’t regret it.’ However, little did I know that he wouldn’t live to regret anything.” John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln in the back of his head. He had let his bodyguard get a drink at the tavern across the street from the theatre, but did not make it back in time to save Lincoln from his assasinator. President Abraham Lincoln died late