What Was The Turning Point Of The Gettysburg Address

Introduction On the dreary, mournful afternoon of November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln made a unifying speech to a nation divided. His words met the disjointed and disjunct state of the country with emphasis on hope for a prosperous future. At first thought by Lincoln to be subpar and ineffective in achieving its point, the Gettysburg Address would come to be known as one of the greatest and most iconic speeches of the American Civil War. Biography Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 and grew up in the small town of Hodgenville on the Kentuckian Frontier. As a boy, he was not unfamiliar with the hard work of the log cabin life and was known to have a deep sense of humor and a gregarious nature (Abraham Lincoln - Document - Gale in Context:
The massive number of casualties, wounded and blood spilled from both the Union and Confederacy provoked Abraham Lincoln to deliver the Gettysburg Address. His words along with the Union victory itself made July 3, 1863, the turning point of the war. Speech Summary Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address served as an act of remembrance for the massive numbers of Union soldiers who perished, giving their lives for the country and its causes. He begins with his iconic, “Fourscore and seven years ago.” and heavily plays into the theme of unity by constantly referring to the divided country as a nation, “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.” (Abraham Lincoln) and sacrifice, describing not only the literal fighting ground they’re on as a battlefield, but also meaning the country, drawing attention to the Civil War as a huge turning point in the political and social atmospheres of the nation. Lincoln concludes his speech by harping on the necessity of a prosperous future for the nation, “It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us.” (Abraham