Gettysburg Address at the Solder’s

Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address at the Solder's national cemetery on November 13, 1863 (Biography.com). Lincoln did not attend much school growing up. He mostly learned everything he knew from reading books. His parents recalled him walking miles just to get another book he could read (Biography.com). When he got older he decided that he wanted to become a lawyer, so he taught himself by reading William Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England and eventually began to practice law at John T. Stuart law firm (Biography.com). After many years of being a lawyer, Lincoln started to make a name for himself in politics. He served on various county seats in Illinois and even served on the house of representatives from 1847 to 1849 (Biography.com). After making a name for himself in politics, Lincoln decided to run for president in 1860. He ended up winning the republican nominee and went on to win and became the 16th president of the United States of America.

The Gettysburg Address was given in front of mostly white males, but the speech was not just meant for them it was meant for the whole nation. Before Lincoln's inauguration in 1861, seven states from the south seceded from the United States and formed the Confederacy because of the growing political and social issues that formed over the half century. This started the Civil War between the Union and Confederacy that lasted for over 4 years. One of the most decisive and bloodiest battles over the whole war was the battle at Gettysburg in July 1863.

This battle lasted for a couple of days and took the lives of many solders from both sides. A couple of months after the battle, Lincoln was invited to the opening of the National Cemetery and was asked to give a speech. His speech only lasted two minutes but it became one of the most important speeches in American history. Lincoln's speech puts the Civil War in perspective as a test of the success of the American Revolution. The nation that was created and had said that All men were created equal, was fighting a war to determine if that was true. This speech not only showed honor to all the fallen soldiers, but it also inspired people into believing in the war effort to preserve a nation of freedom. This speech increased the morale of all the people and soldiers in the union and helped to win the war.

The reasons why this speech is reliable is not just because of its meaning, but because of the person speaking it. Abraham Lincoln was a very well-educated man and was the sixteenth president of the United States of America. This made his words mean that much more to a nation that was in the middle of a civil war. He gave many people hope and made them believe that they could get through this war and in turn become a better nation from it. Also, through his speech one can tell how the society was and what it was like during the war. This war took a toll on the nation as men were leaving for battle and leaving their wife's and children at home to do the things they usually do. Due to this big change, women had to step up and take on the many of the men's jobs like factory work, tending to the farm, and other things men usually did. Also, because of the war, the demand for food went up and that made it much harder to get food because most of it was going towards the war effort.

Many people view the Gettysburg Address as one of the most important speeches in American history. The reason is because of the way Lincoln spoke about the values of human equality and how every man was equal no matter their color, while also bringing in many values from the Declaration of Independence. He also told about the struggles of the Union during the Civil War, but also said the struggles that the whole nation was going through was for the birth of a new nation. One that was based on freedom for all, no matter your color. This speech ultimately helped the Union to win the war.

This speech means a lot to me because, I believe that the United States is a place where anybody can come and live without the fear of being persecuted because of their skin color, religion, or their beliefs. I believe this speech is the greatest speech in American History. The Gettysburg Address was the decisive instrument that bound the wounds of a torn nation. The war pitted brother against brother, and President Lincoln used this declaration to apply healing which cured hatred and disrespect.

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