Allusions In The Gettysburg Address

Allusion is a brief, indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance. In 1863, a hundred years earlier, Abraham Lincoln wrote a speech named “The Gettysburg Address” where he put into words, his desire for the basis of the Declaration of Independence to come true, and have every man be equal. By using the line “Five score ago” King refers back to one of the most momentous times in American history. King then moves to the very foundation of the Declaration of Independence with the lines “...unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. By acknowledging the fundamentals of the Declaration of Independence in his argument, Dr. King validates his cause of equal rights, and even portrays the legal justification of its legitimacy. Another allusion King deploys is the patriotic song “My Country ‘Tis of Thee”. …show more content…
So, by yielding the line “Let freedom ring”, King supports the idea that African-Americans are just as American as the whites, and deserve to be treated as such. King, being a minister well versed in the ideals of the bible, called into play biblical allusions. Evoking bible verses like “...justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream” builds his credibility by relaying a concept that many Americans can relate to. The bible verse “Justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream” refers to Amos 5:24, in which justice is the kind that rolls down like waters, and is an everflowing stream. The use of allusion makes King’s speech that much more compelling. His use of allusion suggests that African-Americans aren’t as vile as they are portrayed to