Here in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, November 19, 1863, after Edward Everett’s speech, President Lincoln presents a brief 2 minutes, an inspiring remark that will surely have a lasting impact on the people and the nation. Many attended and listened to President Lincoln’s tribute to the fallen soldiers who entered and fought in one of the difficult, bloody, and historical conflicts in the Civil War, the Gettysburg Battle. America was committed and founded upon the ideals of freedom and equality when the nation finally became independent from Great Britain in 1776, prompting the beginning and focal of “our nation” and the struggles that began as independent, distinct nation. Lincoln’s delivery is powerful as he questioned if our nation can continue to stand with our set of fundamental basis throughout this nation’s internal war. This message can be seen as a formal recommitment to not just the war but also the ideals the war is pursuing.
It is as though, in the address, Lincoln is summarizing how far Americans have come, from being tied to the British, achieving independence, and now battling for the “new birth of freedom” that has yet to come. However, this speech never directly called for a Northern Victory nor did it mention that slavery and Confederacy must be eliminated and triumphed over. Instead, he spoke more broadly about the victory of a “new birth of freedom” because he wanted to concentrate on the purpose of the effort which is the persistence of surviving to maintain liberty and equality. Lincoln sends a message that this moment is sacred and it is appropriate that this event should be faithful and dedicated to the living and the dead who has fought so hard for the nation. President Lincoln also dedicates the soldiers as those who had devoted their lives to the preservation of our nation’s principles and values. The American values are what we are fighting for and will continue to fight for. Although he mentioned otherwise, this timeless message will surely reach our people in the future and for the oncoming conflict that will again test our nation’s original principles and values which are equality and freedom. There will be various “great tasks” and there are still numerous “unfinished works” in the years to come but Lincoln hopes that the nation that was established upon democracy will survive the trial. This piece is an enduring masterpiece that will still move the hearts of the present and the future as well as be an inspiration for greater justice.
