The document provides background information on the events leading up to and following the American Civil War, including the rise of slavery as a divisive issue, Lincoln's views against the expansion of slavery, the secession of Southern states and formation of the Confederacy, and key battles of the Civil War. It also describes Lincoln's delivery of the Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in 1863, where he framed the war as a struggle to determine whether the nation "conceived in Liberty" could long endure and called for a renewed dedication to the principles of equality and democracy.