Abraham Lincoln was a president of few words. This was especially true when he read the
famous Gettysburg Address which he dedicated to the soldiers. This was a somber speech given
at the National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The speech only contained 272 words,
but they packed a punch. The citizens’ of America thought differently of Abraham Lincoln and
his ideas of bringing the people together after this period of war.
The soldiers were not the only weary ones. Abraham Lincoln was tired of the war and
disagreements among the citizens of the United Sates. The American audience had lost interest
in words that meant nothing. Lincoln had to give a speech that would unite the citizens. In his
speech, he spoke of human equality and a government that would represent the people. This was
the rally cry that the soldiers and citizens needed to hear to once again have faith that America
would last and so would its government.
President Lincoln had expanded his vocabulary and thoughts because, he was an avid reader.
This allowed him to visit different ideas and venues in his mind. He brought all of his ideas to
fruition with the Gettysburg Address. He was a great showman of rhetoric. The Gettysburg
Address united the hearts and minds of the American people to forge forward in history and with
humanity.
As America celebrates the 150th Anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, which was only
three paragraphs and 272 words long, let us not forget that the government is supposed to be for
the people. Lincoln would have been proud to know that his speech still packs a punch.