The Battle of Gettysburg is one of the most significant and well-known not only during the Civil War but also in the entire history of the United States. It was here, in the Gettysburg Field, that President Abraham Lincoln delivered his most famous speech. The deep meaning embedded in it and the feelings with which Lincoln delivered his speech make it convincing, vivid, strong, and memorable.
The choice of words that Lincoln made for his speech is not random and each of them resonated deeply in the heart of his audience. Thus, Lincoln said that Americans were “a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal” (Schnall, 2014). The word preposition in this sentence refers not only to the idea of forefathers but has a deeper meaning. With a choice of this word Lincoln suggests that the audience must consider what they are fighting for – equality for all men – and determines the purpose of the war – that of uniting the US people based on equality and brotherhood. At that time, the idea was crucial to motivate people to fight, since the battle of Gettysburg was one of the bloodiest, and many people were disheartened to continue the struggle. Moreover, some saw the war as civil and were averse to killing their citizens. Lincoln aptly delineated the purpose of the war connecting it to the forefathers’ idea of equality through the choice of such words as “consecrate” and “hallowed” ground. Thus, Lincoln says: “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”. The words “consecrate” and “hallowed” ground here refers to the holy character of the fight, the one the nation cannot lose. The meaning of the sentence is two-fold: on the one hand, Lincoln refers to the forefathers and generations perished who overcame innumerable difficulties first as settlers and then in the War for Independence to bring into life what they believed in. On the other hand, Lincoln refers to people dead in the Battle of Gettysburg and says that their noble fight will not be forgotten and will be forever written in the history of the USA.
The Gettysburg speech is short and this fact makes it even more powerful and memorable. The speech was delivered right after the Battle of Gettysburg in the cemetery where many people who perished in the fight were buried. While the purpose of the speech was to call on people to continue the fight, Lincoln paid reverence to dead soldiers by not making the speech short and effective. Indeed, there is a tradition to honor the dead with a minute of silence and Lincoln remain true to this tradition by not delivering lengthy speeches in the cemetery. Instead, he gave people time to mourn over their dead at the same time inspiring them to continue the struggle.
The Gettysburg speech has parallels with “My Escape from Slavery” by Johnson. Indeed, both call freedom and equality the highest value, a precious gift that is worth fighting for. Thus, Douglass in his escape overcomes innumerable difficulties to become free while in the battle of Gettysburg, hundreds of people died for equality and brotherhood. Douglass says that after his escape “the dreams of [his] youth and the hopes of [his] manhood were completely fulfilled”, underlining the fact that freedom is more precious to him than any earthy richness (Douglass, 1881). The same idea is traced in the Gettysburg Address where Lincoln states that people who died in the battle will not be forgotten since what they fought for – freedom and equality – are more precious than life itself.
References
Schnall, P. (2014). Lincoln @ Gettysburg [Video file]. Public Broadcasting Service. Web.
Douglass, F. (1881). My escape from slavery. The Century Illustrated Magazine, 23, 125-131.