The Gettysburg AddressA Great Speech By Abraham Lincoln

Presentation by G. Shope

A civil war is when a country is fighting against itself. Because of this, the Civil War was the bloodiest war America has ever seen. As soon as America’s great war began, sides were picked by all. The North wanted the nation to be whole, industrialized, and without slavery. The South wanted to form a new nation, called The Confederacy, which depended on agriculture and slave labor. However, this was not always the case. Some people, though not believing in their side’s goal, chose a side because they lived in an area and chose to fight for their family and land.

The Battle of Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle in the civil war. There were 45,515 men reported dead, missing, or wounded. After the Battle, Abraham Lincoln visited the field and gave a famous speech. This was called the Gettysburg Address.

The Civil War

North: Had many cities and factories that could make their weapons, uniforms, and supplies. The North also had a larger population and more states with it. After the slaves were set free, the North got many of them to fight for the North to gain their freedom.

South: Was still trading cotton with England and making money that way. Since most battles were fought in the South, they knew the land better. Because many good generals were from the south, they had better military training and officials.

The North and South: Concepts and Advantages

Advantages:

C1: How does Lincoln characterize the soldiers who died during the Battle of Gettysburg?

He believes that these men have given their last devotion, their life, to our country and there are no acts can repay them. They have endured the great Civil War, and now they shall have a monument dedicated to their everlasting, unwavering devotion to their country in a time of great hardship and struggle. As Lincoln states in this great speech, “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.” Even though Lincoln was the president of the Union, his speech shows that he respects the dedication of the soldiers that gave their lives at the Battle of Gettysburg and all of the war, despite the color of their uniforms.

C2: What inferences can you make about Lincoln’s hopes for the future of the United States?

I think that Lincoln’s hopes were that people would respect him more because he gave this address. The fact that he had a monument made as “A final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live.” for both sides is brave, but also very well written. Not only does it show the respect Lincoln has for the men who died, but it also shows his ability to sympathize the enemy. Lincoln hoped that the South might start thinking they were just fighting the north, and not fighting Abraham Lincoln imparticular. However, by saying “A new birth of freedom.” and “Dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” implies that the North will triumph. He probably meant by “New birth of freedom.” was freeing the slaves and creating equality. This might have been because he was trying to rally the Union troops, or at least give them a glimmer of hope by showing them that he was still with them and on their side. However, it could mean many other thing, but because of Lincoln's view of slavery we can infer he means getting slavery abolished.

C3: What is Lincoln’s address say about the concept of liberty?

When our country was created, our founding fathers created the Constitution. In this document, they said all men were created equal, and as Lincoln says, “conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” Though this statement may have some truth to it, it is counteracted by the statement, “Now we are engaged in a great civil war.” This shows that even if the Constitution says all men are equal, the rules don’t apply to African Americans, or they don’t apply to the Confederacy. Lincoln says liberty is what we are fighting over, and this is partly true. Also, Lincoln say at the end of his speech, “A new birth of freedom.” By definition, freedom means having liberty, and being lifted from a constraint. This could mean that the slaves are being freed, but it could also mean the Confederacy is being freed from the Union. Due to Lincoln’s side and view of this war and slavery, we can assume that he hopes the birth of freedom will be freeing the slaves.

D1: In your own words, rephrase the statement, “It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought have thus far so nobly advanced.”

Those who lay here died because of this great civil war. Though many men died in this battle and throughout the war, we must bravely continue and finish what those who fought, living and dead, started just as bravely.

D2: In three sentences, summarize the message Lincoln is trying to convey to the American people.

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There are no words that we can say nor acts that can be done to repay these men who died here. They have given their devotion, which we cannot give them back, for it is the the strongest will a man has. We can, however, devote ourselves to the great task they started so bravely and remember all who died in the bloodiest war America has seen.

Creative SynthesisThe stakeholder from the audience I wrote about is Mary Todd Lincoln. She was married to Abraham Lincoln, and was the 16th first lady. She was also the mother of 4 boys. Though her family was mainly with the Confederacy, she was loyal to North and was a Unionist like her husband. This led to some Northerners accusing her of treason and some Southerners disliking her for not being devoted to the South.

Abraham Lincoln Mary Todd Lincoln

Fun Facts:

1. While Lincoln gave his speech, men were burying bodies nearby2. There are five different versions of this speech that are all handwritten3. Abraham Lincoln seemed to be obsessed with cats and loved animals 4. The name of the battle was not mentioned in Lincoln’s speech5. The most common speech was 271 words6. Lincoln was almost absent because of a bad morning

Bibliography● Biography.com● Historynet● Abraham Lincoln’s Classroom● History.com● Google images● Civil War Trust

Thank You!

Thanks for listening. I hope you learned something new about the Gettysburg Address!