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Abraham Lincoln
The three-day battle of Gettysburg was one of the climactic events of the American Civil War. Months after
the battle in November 1863, President Abraham Lincoln was invited to help consecrate the national cemetery
on this battlefield where over 30,000 men were killed or wounded. Lincoln had turned down other speaking
opportunities during the war, but went to Gettysburg because he believed it was the perfect setting to
discuss the true meaning of the war. This short message struck a chord with Americans then and now. Using
biblical imagery and language, Lincoln assured his fellow citizens that Northern armies were not fighting
just to suppress the rebellion, but were fighting to save democratic institutions. These institutions
promise to have meaning for all people on earth, and this promise can be kept only if government ".
. . of, by and for . . ." the people survives. Do you see the appeal in Lincoln’s message over the
ages? What does he assert about the ideal that "all men are created equal"?
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