Persuasive Essay On The Gettysburg Address

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Though many scholars, such as Seltzer, have noted the antislavery rhetoric purposed the same ideals of the Gettysburg Address (and one could argue, even more meritoriously), this did not mean that Black were looked as equals by the majority of the nation. Seltzer argues that, “By casting his [Wills] interpretation in terms of a narrative of origins, Wills exaggerates the originary force of Lincoln 's Address at the expense of an appreciation for the cultural work of popular groups who were themselves involved in a reevaluation of national ideals through an appeal to the Declaration of Independence long before Gettysburg” (Selzer 126). She then concludes; “Abolitionists were changing in the popular eye from extremists to patriots who tried to

President Lincoln gave a speech on his vision and the state of the country, when his audience was expecting something completely different. Since the Civil war was fought mostly because of slavery and politics, that’s what the people expected to hear about. Lincoln claims that each side had their reasons and each side tried to avoid war. However, war still occurred and everyone was waiting for it to end. The authors claims that the people want the war over so the nation can heal.

Then, Lincoln changes from literal justification to a metaphorical description as to why we must honor the fallen men. He uses this speech to dedicate grounds to the men who gave their lives but he also sees it as an opportunity to boost the morale of the men still at war. Lincoln tells how it is up to us, the living, to conquer what the brave men have started. As we see the speech was not only for the men who had sacrificed their lives but it is a reminder to the rest of the people about what we stand for as a nation---and that we must continue to fight or this country will not

Furthermore, Lincoln is shining light on the power of a group over a single person and the conflict that comes along with divide. In his conclusion, Lincoln utilizes parallel sentence structure justifying, “that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to the 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… and that the government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth” (par. 3). Here, Lincoln recognizes the duty laid upon the people to unite their nation and ameliorate the bridges. He repeats his structure within this paragraph to create impact on the audience. Also, he repeats the world people when describing the government to emphasize the power

In the speech known as the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln talks about the purpose of the war, and he encourages the listeners that it is a noble cause. Towards the beginning of the speech, Lincoln proclaims, “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure” (747). This is where Lincoln defines his cause. By stating the war’s purpose, Lincoln brings his listeners to the same starting thought. When he says, “any nation so conceived and so dedicated,” Lincoln is referring to his previous statement about America being founded on liberty and equality.

The Civil War divided the nation in 1865 with an estimated number of casualties of 620,000 people. The Gettysburg address was written to remember that the loss of the fallen soldiers. The Gettysburg address was an important document for the development of civil war. The Gettysburg Address showcased the injustices of slavery, the fight to save the union,and the struggle of freedom. The Civil War was a battle against slavery.

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The Great Speech Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1863 delivered one of the most iconic speeches in American History. His delivery infuses us with such raw power and emotions that poured out from the bottom of his heart will change the hearts and minds of Americans for ages to come. Abraham Lincoln did not just write one speech he made five different copies with different sentence structure and paragraph structure, to show how important the layout of the message and how it needed to be simple and to the point. Dissecting “The Gettysburg Address” we begin to understand Abraham Lincoln’s heart lies, he reminds everyone about our past and that we should honor those who fought for our freedom; he tells us “All men are created equal” only to show us what we need to work on as people in the present, he spreads hope for the future and encourages us to grow together

Abraham Lincoln in the speech, The Gettysburg Address, constructs a point of achieving a "just and lasting peace" between the North and South without retribution. Lincoln supports his assertion by justifying his beliefs of unity between the states. Lincoln's purpose is to influence the people to not allow what has been done to go to waste. He wants his audience to realize that this division will only persist if no one settles the current issues in society. Lincoln speaks in a sympathizing, determined tone to address the Americans who are mourning the loss of their loved ones and to the rest of Americans who he wants to see a change from.