On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln, presented his now-famous
Gettysburg Address to a large crowd that had assembled to dedicate a battlefield where thousands of soldiers had lost their lives. The United States of America was at war with itself.
The southern states had seceded from the northern union of states and had formed the
Confederate States of America. The United States were no longer united. President Lincoln had to say something to inspire the people of this land and send a message across the world that this new nation would remain intact.
The words of the Gettysburg Address were direct, but not harsh. As a student of Ancient
Greek and Roman philosophers and a lawyer who knew the art of persuasive speech in debate,
President Lincoln crafted a message that when spoken would touch the hearts of all its hearers.
Weeks later when others would read his speech, the message would have that same effect.
Decades later the Gettysburg Address would remain a comfort to future leaders facing a crisis.
At Gettysburg, President Lincoln had presented a timeless message that was on-time for his day and still applicable for America in the year 2013.
The first sentence of the Gettysburg Address is poetic. Its words are memorable. “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation” is an eloquent way of saying 87 years ago the United States became an independent nation on this
North American land mass. President Lincoln knew that the words he would speak were just as important as the message they would convey. A reading of the Gettysburg Address proves how powerful and majestic words can be when arranged in a certain manner. Lincoln’s use of ordinary words in this speech was inspirational and significant.
Knowing the importance of how to say what was needed to be said was only a portion of the significance of the Gettysburg Address. President Lincoln knew that