Critical appreciation of Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address”

Q. Write a critical appreciation of Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address”.

Or, Discuss the background of “Gettysburg Address”.

Or, How does Lincoln reshape/redefine the American nation in his famous speech?

“Gettysburg Address”, a speech by Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), is one of the best known speeches in the history of the United States.  It was delivered by Lincoln at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on November 19, 1863, during the American Civil War.

Abraham Lincoln’s address beginning with “Four score and seven years ago,” is considered to be one of the greatest speeches in American history. In just over two minutes, Lincoln expressed the principles of human equality. He   redefined the Civil War as a struggle not merely for the Union, but as “a new birth of freedom” that would bring liberty, rights, equality to all of its citizens.

From July 1–3, 1863, more than 160,000 American soldiers clashed in the Battle of Gettysburg. The battle also had a major impact on the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with 2,400 inhabitants.  In the battlefield, there were more than 7,500 dead bodies of soldiers and several thousand horses. Air was heavy with the rotten bodies.

It became the duty for the inhabitants to bury the dead bodies in the right way. In the beginning, the town planned to buy land for a cemetery and then asked the families of the dead to pay for their burial. However, David Wills, a wealthy 32-year-old attorney, played a great role. He objected to this idea and wrote to the Governor of Pennsylvania, Andrew Gregg Curtin. He suggested that a National Cemetery to be funded by the states. Wills was authorized to purchase 17 acres for a cemetery to honour those lives lost in the battle.

The Gettysburg Address is one of Lincoln’s most revolutionary political speeches. He had been invited to simply give his approval to the creation of the Gettysburg National Cemetery. Lincoln got a great chance to say something on the inauguration of the cemetery. He does not specifically mention slavery or states’ rights.

Lincoln takes into consideration the Declaration of Independence and the phrase “all men are created equal” as the motto of the nation. By looking to the declaration for guidance, Lincoln implicitly acknowledges the flaws of the Constitution, such as its provisions for the existence of slavery.  The consequences of Lincoln’s statements are extra ordinary. He acknowledges the cruel aspects of slavery. The speech implies that the Constitution must be amended to set the nation back on the right way.

The Civil War continued for two more years, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address provided Americans with a literary formula for accepting the costs of the war and moving toward the future with resolution and aspiration. Lincoln referred to the events of the Civil War and described the ceremony at Gettysburg as an opportunity not only to make the  grounds sacred but also to dedicate the living to the struggle to ensure that “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” His striking speech is remembered with great honour around the world.