Reflection- The Gettysburg Address

The Gettysburg Address is such a moving speech.  Spoken by Abraham Lincoln in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on November 19th, 1863, it was written to honor all of the soldiers who had fought and died during the gruesome battle.  The battle at Gettysburg during the Civil War was one of the worst in America's history.  During this speech, Abraham Lincoln makes the statement, "The world will little note, nor long remember what he say here, but it can never forget what they did here" (Lincoln).  Two years after this speech, Senator Charles Sumner made a comment on the Gettysburg Address that I found very comical, but also extremely fitting: "The world noted what he said, and will never cease to remember it.  The battle itself was less important than the speech" ("Gettysburg Address").  The soldiers fighting in the Civil War were not so much fighting for their freedom, as they had in the Revolutionary War, but more for their liberty and actually keeping it in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.  I think that Abraham Lincoln made the Gettysburg Address to honor the brave soldiers fighting for their country, but also for the cause itself.  He was speaking for the patriotism of America because he felt very strongly that it was important in keeping our country together.  Abraham Lincoln's main goal for the Civil War was to fix the Union (not so much getting rid of slavery, as everyone thinks it is).  He wanted to keep the Union together so we could literally be the UNITED States of America.  I think his philosophies can definitely be related to those of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau because they were all big fans of America and the idea of liberty.  Sure, Abraham Lincoln's number one goal was not to abolish slavery like it was for Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, but he wanted the country to come together as one.  The similarities we can see are their love for their country and the desire to make it better with freedom and liberty.


"The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln." NetINS Showcase. Web. 07 Feb. 2012.