The Gettysburg Address
Abraham Lincoln
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on
this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and
dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that
nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long
endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We
have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting
place for those who here gave their lives that that nation
might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should
do this.
But, in a larger sense, 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. The world will
little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can
never forget what they did here. 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. 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 of the
people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from
the earth.
Subject
The Gettysburg Address is a speech to honor the soldiers that died in the Battle of Gettysburg during the
Civil War. Some facts about the battle you should know/review:
The battle took place in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and lasted from July 1st to July 3rd of 1863. These were
some of the hottest days of the summer. When the armies withdrew from the battlefield, they left more
than 8,000 human corpses and 5,000 dead horses behind. In the following days, many more soldiers
would die from their wounds.
Total casualties from the battle: 10,000 soldiers killed or mortally wounded, 30,000 injured, and 10,000
captured or missing. That’s almost as many soldiers that were killed, wounded or declared missing during
the entire Vietnam Conflict (civilwar.org, army.mil).
“After the battle, bodies lay scattered throughout Gettysburg’s farmlands. Burial work commenced
quickly as fears of epidemic rose. The dead were hastily buried in shallow graves on the battlefield… Rain
and wind began eroding the impromptu graves, and Gettysburg’s citizens called for the creation of a
soldiers’ cemetery for the proper burial of the Union dead” (nps.gov).
This battle was a Union victory, often considered the turning point of the Civil War.
Audience
“The audience's response was muted, probably due to surprise at the brevity of the speech. Seeing his
audience’s reaction, Lincoln remarked to a companion: ‘It is a flat failure and the people are
disappointed.’ However, the following day, Everett wrote the President praising his speech and
pronouncing it one of the best he had heard. As the words Lincoln spoke that day were spread by the
newspapers, public reaction concurred” (eyewitnesstohistory.com).
This speech had several audiences. There was, of course, the immediate audience of people who’d
gathered at Gettysburg for the ceremony. The crowd was estimated at somewhere between 15,000 and
20,000 people.
Lincoln also knew that his speech would be reprinted and reported in newspapers for the wider
American public… and for posterity. Note the lack of partisanship and agenda-pushing. Any references
to emancipation are oblique. By invoking the Declaration of Independence, Lincoln could build on
principles that both Unionists and Confederates revered.
Purpose
One purpose of this speech (which Lincoln explicitly states) was to honor the men that lost their lives at
the Battle of Gettysburg.
But Lincoln also needed to remind the (Northern) American public why they were fighting the Civil War.
This was a costly war—both in terms of lives lost and money spent. People were weary of conflict,
especially since the enemy combatants were their rebellious fellow citizens. They didn’t know how much
longer the war would last. He needed to shore up the Union resolve to continue fighting.
Speaking at Gettysburg also gave him a chance to solidify political support in Pennsylvania.
Speaker
This address was spoken on November 19, 1863, at ceremonies to dedicate a part of the battlefield as a
cemetery for those who had lost their lives in the battle.
Lincoln was not the featured (keynote) speaker for the occasion. That honor fell to Edward Everett, a
professor and politician from Massachusetts. Everett spoke for two hours to the gathered crowd.
Lincoln’s speech took less than two minutes.
“The 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809 in rural Kentucky and
raised in rural Indiana. As an adult he settled in Illinois, worked in a store, managed a mill, became a selftaught lawyer, and served in the state legislature. After several unsuccessful campaigns for national office
and a short stint in the House of Representatives, Lincoln was elected president in 1860 on his stance
against the extension of slavery. He guided the nation through the Civil War until his assassination in
1865” (Cohen).
Lincoln was not invited to speak at Gettysburg until November 2nd. Then, at the last moment, his son
Tad grew ill. His wife begged him not to leave, and Lincoln himself was concerned—they had already
lost two of their four children to disease.
What sources did Ms. Doolittle use to prepare this lesson? You can download her full bibliography on the class website.