Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863 to dedicate a cemetery for the Union soldiers killed in the Battle of Gettysburg. The battle, which took place from July 1-3, 1863, resulted in over 51,000 casualties. Lincoln's short speech honored the fallen soldiers and rallied the country to continue fighting for liberty and equality. Though only two minutes long, the Address came to define the purposes and consequences of the Civil War.

1. The Gettysburg
Address
Written and delivered by
Abraham Lincoln
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Power point by Cheyanne Wescott

2. A little bit of background
The Gettysburg Address was delivered
on November 19th, 1863 as a dedication of
a cemetery at the site of a bloody battle in
and around Gettysburg, PA. The fight
started July 1st and officially ended July
4th, our nation’s birthday.
The Battle of Gettysburg left more than
51,000 on either side of the battle
wounded or dead, and the dead were lying
in makeshift graves along the battlefield.

3. Summary
Lincoln’s famous address lasted only two
minutes, but it was an inspirational, heartfelt,
and solemn speech that honored the fallen and
rallied those still fighting. It was supposed to be
a dedication ceremony, but Lincoln turned the
moment into a salute and list of reasons to still
fight this civil war.
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“The world will little note, nor long remember what
we say here; while it can never forget what they did
here.”

4. Analysis
• Pathos: made patriotic comments and
honored the dead, i.e. “… from these
honored dead we take increased devotion
to that cause for which they have here,
gave the last full measure of devotion…”
• Effect: inspired feelings of patriotism and
pride in the audience, and reminded them
why they need to keep fighting so those
who died did not do so in vain.

5. Analysis (cont’d)
• Imagery: “… a new birth of freedom...”,
“… shall not perish from the earth.”, “great
battle field of the war.”
• Effect: paints a dramatic picture of the
goings on of the war and incites solemnity
and/or hope with the audience.

6. Analysis (cont’d)
• Charged words: engaged, struggled,
consecrate, hallow, devotion, perish
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• Effect: gives gravity to his argument; i.e.
struggled makes you feel empathetic and/
or proud of the fallen soldiers/those
involved with the war effort.

7. Its Significance
The Gettysburg Address is a lasting reminder
of the horrible battles fought during the Civil War
to keep our nation together. The speech was
very inspiring, and the two minutes he spent
talking were all it took to take the war from being
just a war between the rebellious South and the
steadfast North, into a war about the freedom
and equality our forefathers intended. Without
this address and its inspiring words, the war
might not’ve turned out the same way, and
where would that leave America?

10. Works Cited
• "The Battle of Gettysburg: The Wheat Field."
Thomaslegion.net. Web. 15 Feb. 2012.
• "The Gettysburg Address (1863)."
Ourdocuments.gov. Web. 15 Feb.
2012.
• "The Gettysburg Address." Wikipedia.com. 2
Feb. 2012. Web. 15 Feb. 2012.
• "Gettysburg Battle American Civil War July
1863." Americancivilwar.com. Web. 15
Feb.
2012