The Gettysburg Address

Primary Source Activity

The GETTYSBURG ADDRESS

The Battle of Gettysburg was fought along the rocky hillsides of Pennsylvania during the first three days of July 1863. It was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. Over 51,000 soldiers were killed, injured, or reported missing. If the Confederate army had won the battle, the Southerners could have captured or destroyed Philadelphia, a major Northern city. But the Union army declared victory, and the battle marked a turning point in the war.

On November 19, 1863, President Lincoln delivered a speech at the dedication of the battlefield’s cemetery. His speech lasted only two minutes but is celebrated as one of the most powerful statements in the English language. Lincoln’s speech linked the sacrifices of the fallen soldiers to the early struggles for freedom that had begun “four score and seven years ago” with the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The Aftermath of Gettysburg

Read the first sentence carefully.

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure."

four score and seven years ago: 87 years ago, when the Declaration of Independence was signed
dedicated to the proposition: based on the idea
so conceived: created for the purpose of liberty and equality
endure: continue to exist

Multiple Choice

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.

What is the main idea of the first sentence?

• Lincoln thinks that ideas from “four score and seven years ago” no longer apply to the United States.

• Lincoln does not plan to give liberty to the South if the Union wins the war.

• Lincoln believes the United States was built on the belief that all men are created equal.

• Lincoln is concerned that the proposition of equality for all men is not a good reason to fight a war.

Multiple Choice

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.

Lincoln says the Civil War is a test for the country. What is it testing?

• whether the ideals in the Declaration of Independence were misunderstood.

• whether the nation can peacefully split into two parts.

• whether a war between the North and South is helping the nation.

• whether a nation based on freedom and equality can survive and uphold those principle.

Read the next sentence carefully.

"We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate—we cannot consecrate—we cannot hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here."

those who here gave their lives: the soldiers who died at the Battle of Gettysburg
consecrate: make sacred or special
hallow: make holy

Fill in the Blank

Members of some religions believe that people should be buried in cemeteries where the ground has been ___________________, or made sacred. Lincoln is speaking at the ___________________ of a cemetery for soldiers killed at Gettysburg. But he says he cannot consecrate the _____________________ since the soldiers already did so when they _____________________ their lives for the country.

,

,

,

Open Ended

Why do you think Lincoln said,

“The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here,

but it can never forget what they did here”?

Read the ending carefully.

"It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us— that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

take increased devotion to that cause: commit to winning the war
gave the last full measure of devotion: gave their lives
highly resolve: make a promise
in vain: for no reason
perish: disappear

Multiple Select

"from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Lincoln asked Americans to make some promises. Which three things did he ask people to do?

• to make sure the reason the soldiers died is not forgotten.

• to create a new era of freedom and equality in the United States

• to end the fighting, even if the North must surrender

• to make sure the U.S. government remains an example of democracy

Open Ended

Lincoln’s main purpose when speaking at Gettysburg was to honor soldiers who had died there. But Lincoln also wanted to persuade Americans to continue fighting the war.

How did his speech achieve that goal? Describe two arguments that Lincoln made to convince people to continue fighting.