The Gettysburg
Address was delivered by the President of United States, Abraham Lincoln on the
afternoon of Thursday, November 19, 1863. It was during the dedication ceremony
of the soldier’s National Cemetery in Gettysburg for the American soldiers who
died in the battle of Gettysburg. This was precisely four months after the
battle of Gettysburg which lasted for two days and cost more than 8,000 lives
and wounded close to 26,000 American soldiers. The speech was delivered in two
minutes unlike that of the main speaker, Edward Everest which took almost two
hours. However, there have been controversies relating to the wording of the
Gettysburg speech. There are five manuscripts to this speech; Bliss Copy, Nicolay Copy, Hay Copy, Everett Copy and Bancroft Copy. It is believed that Abraham Lincoln
changed the wordings of the final draft. It has been regarded one of the
greatest speeches in the American history.
Discussion
The
speech was so touching and inspiring as it emphasized the importance of dying
for one’s country. He talked of the democratic America and the coming freedom:
government of the people, by the people, for the people. He equally appreciated
the efforts made by the dead soldiers by noting that no soldier had died in
vain and conspicuously urged the war to move on in honor of their sacrifice. He
noted that their efforts could not go unnoticed and will forever be remembered.
The notion of there being five transcripts describes the significance of the
speech and the attention it derived. The period it took the president to
prepare the speech, the content of the speech and the mode of presentation signified
his eloquence and leadership skills. The silence and emotions that filled the aftermath
of the speech was a confirmation of the gravity of the occasion and the
importance of the sought freedom to the Americans.
Criticism
However,
the speech was not enjoyed by many and was marred with criticism from the press
and political fronts in the United States. This led to his political influence
decline and subsequent assassination. Notable was the criticism from Senator
Charles Summer. While reading the eulogy for Lincoln on June 1, 1865, Senator
Charles Summer termed the Lincoln’s speech as a monumental act (Yogerst, 2008
pg 1). He further clarified that Lincoln was wrong in thinking that the world
would not remember of the efforts contributed by the dead soldiers. He stated
that by then the world has already noted and would never forget especially
after so many soldiers died and suffered in the two day war. Many people felt
the war was not relevant compared to the number of deaths. Both Lincoln and
Senator Charles however saw and campaigned for the importance of dying for one’s
country.
Comparison
Lincoln
advocated for the war to continue while Senator Charles criticized the effects
of the war. While Lincoln thought that the efforts offered by the American
soldiers during the war might go unappreciated and be forgotten forever,
Senator Charles believed that their efforts have already been recognized and
will never be forgotten especially after thousands had died. Senator Charles
even observed that Lincoln’s speech is the one to be forgotten.
Conclusion
The Lincoln’s speech quantified the civil war in
relation to the American Revolution. A democratic America was subjected to war
to determine its existence. Although Lincoln dearly appreciated the sacrifice
made by the dead soldiers, he also used the platform to convince the living
Americans to continue with the struggle so as to preserve the freedom of US.
The crowd was in awe after the delivery of the speech as it was brief and
significant. Although the speech was highly criticized by the press and his
political enemies, it was effective as it came during chaos, unrest and sorrow.
It identified with the Americans at that point in time.
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