Abraham Lincoln: Gettysburg Address

Delivered November 19, 1863, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon 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 battlefield of that
war. We have come to dedicate a portion of it, as a final resting place for those who
died here, that the nation might live. This we may, in all propriety do. But in a larger
sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow, this ground. The
brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have hallowed it, far above our poor
power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here;
while it can never forget what they did here.

It is rather for us the living, we here be dedicated to the great task remaining before
usthat from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which
they here gave the last full measure of devotionthat we here highly resolve that these
dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation 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.

The Gettysburg Address: An Analysis

On 19 November, we commemorate the anniversary of Abraham Lincolns Gettysburg
Address in 1863.
In one of the first posts on this blog, I compared Lincolns two-minute address with the two-hour
oration by Edward Everett on the same occasion. Today the former is universally regarded as one of
the most famous speeches in American history; the latter is largely forgotten. Indeed, Everett himself
recognized the genius of Lincolns speech in a note that he sent to the President shortly after the
event:
I should be glad, if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in
two hours, as you did in two minutes.

Abraham Lincoln
In a speech that was comprised of only 10 sentences and 272 words, Lincoln was able to strike a
chord that would resonate not only with his audience, but one that would resonate through time.
Why is this short speech so memorable?
First, it is important to remember the context. America was in the midst of a bloody civil war. Union
troops had only four months earlier defeated Confederate troops at the Battle of Gettysburg which is
widely recognized as the turning point in the war. The stated purpose of Lincolns speech was to
dedicate a plot of land that would become Soldiers National Cemetery to honour the fallen.
However, the Civil War still raged and Lincoln realized that he also had to inspire the people to
continue the fight.
Below is the text of the Gettysburg Address, interspersed with my thoughts on what made it so
memorable.
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.
Four score and seven is much more poetic, much more elegant, much more noble than Eighty-
seven. This is fitting, because 87 years earlier, the United States had won its freedom from
Britain and thus embarked on the Great Experiment.
Lincoln reminds the audience of the basis on which the country was founded: liberty and
equality. This is a perfect set up to the next sentence.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation,
so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.
Here, Lincoln signals the challenge. The principles on which the nation was founded are under
attack.
He extends the significance of the fight beyond the borders of the United States. It is not just a
question of whether America could survive, but rather question of whether any nation founded
on the same principles could survive. Thus does the war and the importance of winning it
take on an even greater significance.
We are met on a great battlefield 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.
Lincoln turns to recognize those who have fallen for their country.
He uses contrast effectively. By stating those who here gave their lives that this nation
might live Lincoln makes what is perhaps the ultimate contrast: life vs death. Contrast is
compelling. As Nancy Duarte says in her book, Resonate, People are naturally attracted to
opposites, so presentations should draw from this attraction to create interest. Communicating
an idea juxtaposed with its polar opposite creates energy. Moving back and forth between the
contradictory poles encourages full engagement from the audience.
He uses consonance the repetition of the same consonant in short succession through words
with the letter f: battlefield; field; final; for; fitting.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow
this ground.
Notice the use of a triple: can not dedicate can not consecrate can not hallow. Triples are
a powerful public speaking technique that can add power to your words and make them
memorable. For an excellent overview of triples and the power of three, read this post by Andrew
Dlugan.
Say the sentence out loud and hear the powerful cadence and rhythm.
The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above
our poor power to add or detract.
This sentence is full of solemn respect for those who fought. It is an eloquent way of saying that
their actions speak louder than Lincolns words.
There is an alliteration: poor power.
The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never
forget what they did here.
There is a double contrast in this sentence: The world will little note, nor longremember what
we say here / but it can never forget what they did here.
Note the appeal to something larger. It is not the United States that will never forget, but the
entire world.
Ironically, Lincoln was wrong on this point. Not only have his words been remembered to this
day, they will continue to be remembered in the future.
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.
The final two sentence of the address sound a call to action, a resolve to complete the unfinished
work.
They are full of inspirational words such as dedicated, nobly, great, honored, devotion,
highly resolve, God, birth and freedom.
There are a couple of contrasts here: the living with the honored dead; and these
dead shall not have died in vain with this nation shall have a new birth of freedom.
Earlier, Lincoln said that, in a sense, they could not dedicate the ground. Here, he tells the
audience that to which they must be dedicated: the unfinished work and the great task
remaining before us.
He finishes with a powerful triple that has become famous throughout the world: of the people,
by the people, for the people.
In an excellent analysis of the Gettysburg address, Nick Morgan offers an interesting perspective on
Lincolns repetition of one word throughout the address:
And buried in the biblical phrasing theres a further device that works unconsciously on the
audience, and the reader, to weave some incantatory magic. Ive discussed this speech many times
with students, with clients, and with colleagues, and I always ask them what simple little word is
repeated most unusually in the speech. No one ever spots it.
When they look, people notice that the word we is repeated 10 times. But thats not unusual, or
surprising, given that Lincoln was trying to rally the nation. The speech was all about we. No,
what is unusual is the repetition of the word here.
Eight times in 250 words two minutes Lincoln invokes the place the hallowed ground of
Gettysburg by repeating the word here. As a result, he weaves some kind of spell on listeners,
then and afterward, that is not consciously noticed, but unconsciously seems to have a powerful
effect.
Repetition is an essential aspect of great public speaking. The trick is knowing what and how to
repeat. Take a lesson from Lincoln. Sometimes its the little words that have the most power.
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. He wanted to
make sure that Americans chose the right path. And he did.
For a fitting conclusion to this post, I want to share this wonderful animated video of Lincolns
speech that adds a new dimension to his words.
Can you explain Lincoln's Gettysburg Address in words that a teen can
understand?
From July 1 to July 3, 1863, Union and Confederate forces clashed in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The
Battle of Gettysburg, a bloody battle that halted Robert E. Lee's invasion of the North, was a turning
point in the Civil War.

After the dust settled, more than 7,500 soldiers over three times the population of
Gettysburg itself lay dead on the battlefield. Authorities decided to turn a section of
the battleground into a national cemetery in which to inter and honor the Union dead.

The famed orator and politician Edward Everett was invited to speak at the dedication.
Almost as an afterthought, President Lincoln was also invited to offer a few poignant
remarks, following Everett's main speech.

On November 19, after Everett delivered a two-hour-long oration, President Lincoln

stood and offered his Gettysburg Address, a mere 272 words, which began like this:

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.

A score, like a dozen, describes a particular quantity in this case, 20. So "four score
and seven years" translates to 87 years. This speech was delivered in 1863; 87 years
earlier was 1776, the year that the signing of the Declaration of Independence officially
declared U.S. independence and "brought forth on this continent a new nation."

The remainder of Lincoln's opening paragraph reminds listeners of the creation of the
United States, noting that its government was based on the idea of freedom (liberty),
and quoting the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence: "...all men are created
equal." With his opening lines, Lincoln frames his speech in a historical and
philosophical perspective.

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.

Keep in mind that, in 1776, the United States was a new kind of country with a different
kind of political philosophy. Its formation was known as "the Great Experiment" because
it ventured into new ground, and no one knew if such a government could survive. That
is the idea Lincoln refers to in this section of the speech: The Civil War was testing
whether the United States, which was founded on liberty and equality, could survive.
Thus, Lincoln succinctly expressed the magnitude of the Civil War: What was at stake
was not simply lives, or money, or government control, but the very foundations upon
which the United States was founded.

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.

This last paragraph is the most important part. In the first three sentences, Lincoln
acknowledges that anything he or anyone else says at this ceremony are just words,
and those words are nothing compared to what the soldiers gave during that battle. He
and others came to Gettysburg to dedicate the cemetery ground, but Lincoln turns it
around, stating that by struggling and spilling blood and dying on that battlefield, the
soldiers themselves have already dedicated, hallowed, and consecrated (which all
essentially mean "make something sacred or honored") the area.

So instead of coming to dedicate the ground, Lincoln says that the people are there
to be dedicated to "the unfinished work" of the devoted soldiers that is, the
preservation of the Union and its ideals of liberty and equality. If the Union were to give
up on the Civil War and many people supported making concessions to the South to
end the war then these soldiers' deaths would be "in vain," or meaningless. This is
both a call to action and a justification for continuing the war.

Lincoln's Gettysburg Address became a rallying cry that easily ushered Lincoln into his
second term in office and reinforced Union resolve to win the war.