Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

Improved Essays
The word admirable by definition means the following: .arousing or deserving respect and approval. That is the first word used to describe Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, and there is not a better word I can think of for this touching speech. The Gettysburg Address was recited after the Civil War, on the very field it was fought on. When the president was invited to give a speech in the place where so many died, it was expected to be emotional at the very least. However, Lincoln went past talking about the grieving over the death that occurred in the place, and talked about what they were willing to die for I imagine Lincoln was just asked to give an introduction to the battleground becoming a graveyard to the fallen soldiers. However,

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Killing Lincoln is a vivid retelling of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln written by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard. They detail the assassination from multiple viewpoints, including that of the president and his assassin. It could serve as a useful tool for scholars because the information is presented in a clear, chronological format, collected from multiple resources, and addresses some of the speculation and conspiracies surrounding this heinous act. It is written by two authors: Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard. O’Reilly is the host of a Fox News program: The O’Reilly Factor.…

    • 1427 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    On a warm afternoon in November of 1863 President Lincoln took the stand and gave one of the most well-known speeches in American history. On this day Lincoln dedicated the battlefield cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. His speech came towards the end of the day after a lengthy 2 hour speech from Edward Everret, and although Lincoln’s speech was only around 2 minutes many agreed that his covered the more central idea of the event than Everett’s. One part of the speech that stuck out to people was Lincoln’s “call to arms” when he addressed the citizens of America. In his speech he boldly states “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.”…

    • 405 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Strategic or Reactive: The transformation of Lincoln’s rhetoric during his presidency From an Illinois lawyer, to the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln is one of the most celebrated historical and political figures of all time. He led the United States through its civil war and paved the way to the abolition of slavery. Not only a proficient politician, but also an amazing rhetorician, Lincoln is the author of some of the most memorable speeches and letters in the American history such as: the Gettysburg Address, Emancipation Proclamation, his first and second Inaugural Addresses and so on. His distinct writing style has a restrained, legalistic, calmed tone and most importantly, passive. David Herbert Donald, an American historian, two times Pulitzer Prize winner and best known for his biography of Abraham Lincoln, argues mainly about this aspect of Lincoln’s rhetoric.…

    • 859 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    One of Lincoln’s most known speeches is the Lyceum Address, which was one of Lincoln’s first speeches. In this speech, he addressed his attitude towards the government. The Lyceum Address was one of Abraham Lincoln's earliest published speeches. The speech was given on January 27, 1838. He was twenty-eight years old at the time of the speech.…

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In President Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, he recalled the past and look toward the future (Johnson, 200). Lincoln stated, “He [God] now wills to remove [slavery], and that He gives to both North and South, this terrible war” (Johnson, 201). Lincoln asserted that God imposed this dreadful and violent war on both the North and the South because He wanted to end slavery (Johnson, 201). Lincoln also suggests that God imposed this brutal war to punish each side for their wrongdoing (Johnson, 201) Did Lincoln think that God punished both sides equally? Although Lincoln suggested that God punished both sides, Lincoln believed that God punished the South more than the North because the Confederacy intended to expand the institution of…

    • 384 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Thursday, November 19, 1863, I traveled to pay my respects for all of the great soldiers of the Union that had died on this field in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The reason I chose to go four-and-a-half months after the Union had the victory is because I heard that Edward Everett was going to speak. Even though I went to see Edward Everett speak, I found President Lincoln’s Gettysburg address made much more of an impact on the people of the Union. Although Edward Everett’s two hour long speech was a great speech, it nowhere near made as much of an impact as Lincoln’s 272 word speech.…

    • 992 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Lincoln incorporates the repetition of “we” throughout the speech to exhibit ethos by establishing a connection with the American people. Lincoln evinces automatic ethos with the authority along with credibility present as Lincoln is the President of The United States. The lines, "But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate - we cannot consecrate - we cannot hallow - this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract,” exploits pathos in which Lincoln places the soldier’s deeds above the speech and the cemetery's dedication, furthermore the pathos draws attention to Lincoln’s purpose of making the American people feel as if they must finish the war (Lincoln). Additional pathos presents itself in the lines, “"The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.…

    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Then we will see how Lincoln uses repetition to reinforce his claim to his views on the war and that those who fought did not die in vain, they died fighting for our freedom. Lastly,…

    • 556 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Ain T I A Woman Essay

    • 968 Words
    • 4 Pages

    This was a big part of Lincoln’s speech, because it would let the people know that this is what the men fought for, and it would be secured. Another point that Lincoln made was, “As a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live” (paragraph 2, Lincoln). To explain, the soldier gave something that America might live under for forever. So, this victory was a big part of America today, changing what Americans are today, conceived in liberty and equality, that will be protected and secured forevermore. Generally speaking, this Gettysburg Address was a main part of what Americans are today, because of the dedication of the men who fought.…

    • 968 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    (Lincoln) What the paraphrase is demonstrating is that the courageous soldiers who are fighting for our freedom and states’ rights should be honored by the people of the nation. The people honoring the soldiers and making sure that this war will give the nation a new birth, was important to Abraham Lincoln, and by him making his speech spread the word out to everyone, that this war will help our country, we should encourage the soldier’s to keep fighting, and he also wanted the people to support the war for freedom. In the Gettysburg Address, Abraham also says “But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate -we cannot consecrate -we cannot hallow -this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.…

    • 1098 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It is as if Lincoln refutes any possibility that the living can make the burial ground sacred because they have not put in the endeavors the soldiers have. The living nation has collectively failed to encourage the continuation of the war that can rescue the U.S. from perilous pressures. Seeing others success can evoke a competitive spirit out of a person and push them to strive for said achievements. This pathologically appeals to the audience’s sense of responsibility and motivates them to do what they can to support the war thus revitalizing public morale and giving power to the war effort. He furthers his point by using synonymous diction; “consecrate” and “hallow” both mean to reserve something as holy or special.…

    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain- that this, nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom- and that government for the people, by the popple, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” Lincoln said. He is saying we need to not let those people die for no reason that we need to do something for their death. He also talks about how people gave their lives that the nation might live. This address help end the Civil War and then help the slaves.…

    • 1182 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In the address antithesis is used to exemplify the soldier’s courage. In paragraph two Lincoln states that even though he is there to dedicate the cemetary to the soldiers, he can’t. He can’t because he soldiers have already taken it. Through their bravery, at the price of their lives they have consecrated the ground, and they will never be forgotten. The parallelism drawn between the facts that Lincoln is there to dedicate land that already belongs, shines a light on the logic behind making Gettysburg a final resting place for the…

    • 1045 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Abraham Lincoln is well-known for being one of the most successful presidents of all time. Because of the time period that he was president in, he was forced to deal with a very challenging issue: handling slavery and the civil war. Throughout Lincoln’s presidency, he delivered numerous speeches on the topic of slavery and tried his best to keep the United States together. Two of his most famous speeches came during his two inaugural addresses when he became president. Although his tone and purpose were different for each of his inaugural addresses, both conveyed similar ideas and used similar rhetorical devices.…

    • 1038 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    He uses euphemisms in his address in order to avoid rubbing salt in the wound of a divided America. Throughout the beginning of the address, he uses several euphemisms to reference the Civil War so as to not inflict disagreements early on. He spoke of the war as “the great contest” with the North and South as its belligerents (Lincoln, 8). By using this euphemism, he exposes the continuing divide among the nation, however, he does it in a mild manner. Toward the end, he touches upon the divide again using slavery to represent the nation’s issue.…

    • 1544 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays