Module 7 Part B[1]

The Gettysburg Address http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm Gettysburg, Pennsylvania November 19, 1863 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. 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. 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. Contextual Information:

After the bloody Battle of Gettysburg, on November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln gave a speech to commemorate the battle and sanctify the cemetery. In actuality, this speech was actually supposed to be a simple remark about the occasion, rather than the main oration. Regarded as one of the finest speeches in American history, it begins with the creation of the United States and follows into its current situation. The lecture not only remembers those who fell on the battlefield, but also acknowledges those who continue to fight for their nation and the perils they face. It speaks of the resolve and sacrifice of the soldiers so that this nation shall not fail in the grander sense of the total war.

Primary Source Analysis Guide to Historical Thinking: Print Documents 1. Identify the Document Author(s) or source: Abraham Lincoln Title: Gettysburg Address Date: November 19, 1863 Type of Document: Speech

2. Analyze the Document

Main idea of the document: To sanctify the cemetery as well as recognize the struggle, Sacrifices, and reasons for which the existing soldiers are fighting. Preceding conditions that motivated the author: The Civil War and the long, drawn out situations that continue to threaten the unity of the United States of America. Intended audience and purpose: Those in attendance were the audience and Lincoln was attempting to acknowledge the soldiers, living and dead, that fought for the Union. Biases of the author: As the President of the Union, he wanted to see the nation stay as one and bring an end to the Civil War. Questions to ask the author : Where do you feel the war is heading? Did you expect this to be regarded as your greatest speech ever?

3. Historical Context

Important people, events and ideas at the time of the document Local/Regional: people, events, and ideas of the time : Civil War. Gettysburg Pennsylvania National: people, events, and ideas of the time: Civil War. The Union (North) and Confederacy (South). Abraham Lincoln (North) Jefferson Davis (South). Powerful Central Government (North) vs. Stronger States Rights (South).