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Purpose Of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

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Kaitlyn Richburgh
Professor Barber
AMH2010-70
4/20/18
Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address November 19, 1863 Abraham Lincoln gave a phenomenal speech which we know as the Gettysburg Address. The speech was meant for those who fought in the Civil War to remember the immense number of deaths at the Battle of Gettysburg. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States when he was first elected nobody believed in success, but he turned out to be one of America’s greatest presidents. Lincoln knew his troops were giving up in the war, but he still supported them and gave them a new perspective of what they were fighting for. The main purpose of the Gettysburg Address was to pay tribute to all the Confederate troops who have fought and …show more content…

This was speech was given during one of the biggest wars in American history, The Civil War. The Gettysburg Address speech was delivered by Abraham Lincoln at the National Cemetery of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania. The Civil War was one of the bloodiest and most critical battles leaving thousands of people dead. It was the deadliest war in American history. There were around 210,000 soldiers killed in action and 625,000 total dead (American Civil War). Thirty percent of all Southern white males between the ages of 18 and 40 died in the war and around 9 million people lived in the Southern states at the time of the Civil War, around 3.4m were slaves (American Civil War). In the beginning of the Gettysburg Address Lincoln starts off with “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.” (Pearson). This sentence alone has a whole meaning to it by itself. “Four score and seven” is much more poetic, much more elegant, much more noble than “Eighty-seven” (Gettysburg Address). This is fitting, because 87 years earlier, the United States had won its freedom from Britain and thus embarked on the “Great Experiment” (Gettysburg Address). Lincoln was known as a strategist and he encouraged …show more content…

Throughout the term of Lincoln’s presidency, he has proven to be the greatest and most supportive president we have ever endured. We can learn a lot about public speaking by studying the great speeches of history. The Gettysburg address is one of the greats, Lincoln took his audience on a journey that began with the founding of America and ended at the crossroads at which the country found itself at that moment (Gettysburg Address). He wanted to make sure that Americans chose the right path (Gettysburg Address). During this tragic time America has suffered a massive loss losing so many soldiers but it better Americas future when they won the war and all the slaves were freed.
Works Cited

“Abraham Lincoln Facts - 20 Interesting Facts about Abraham.” Facts, 20 Sept. 2016, facts.net/abraham-lincoln/.

“Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address.” Media.pearsoncmg.com, media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/hss/revel/history/docs/Abraham_Lincoln_Gettysburg_Address_1863.html.

“American Civil War.” Ducksters Educational Site, www.ducksters.com/history/facts_about_the_civil_war.php.

History.com Staff. “Abraham Lincoln.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2009, www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/abraham-lincoln.

“The Gettysburg Address: An Analysis.” Manner of Speaking, 20 Nov. 2017,

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