Quotation Activity – Gettysburg Address
Quotation Activity – Gettysburg Address
Word Meaning and Context
The proposition use by Lincoln refers to the idea or opinion that the forefathers had when creating America as a nation. The country got freedom from the British colonizers on the grounds of liberty and equality. In this regard, the President used the term proposition in the Gettysburg speech to remind Americans that balance was part of the initial ideal that the country existed. Consecration refers to making a thing or places sacred. Within the speech context, the term’s use by the author seeks to reiterate the fact that dedicating the Gettysburg cemetery to the fallen civil war soldiers would not make the resting place sacred. Making a place or thing holy involves sacrifice, and in this case, no amount of sacrifice was worth the lives lost in the ensuing Union independence.
The author is thus trying to show that the dedication ceremony meant nothing compared to the sacrifices made. Hallowed ground refers to a holy area or location which translates to Gettysburg cemetery being such a place. In the speech context, however, the orator is reiterating that it would not be possible to make the graveyard holy by merely having a dedication ceremony. The occasion, according to Lincoln, is one where “we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground” (History.com Editors, 2019b). What happened on the grounds is way more significant and essential, and no action from any individual regardless of status can give the soldiers the desired recognition.
Reasons for the Short Speech
The invitation to the Gettysburg cemetery dedication happened later than that of the main speaker for the day. The fact notwithstanding, Lincoln had ample time to prepare a long speech. Everett, who was the main speaker, delivered a two-hour speech etched in his memory, whereas the President gave a short written speech in less than two minutes (History.com Editors, 2019b). The address is famous because of the content and context within which it was delivered. The occasion was a somber one since it involved dedicating a cemetery for the civil war heroes who lost lives in the fight for independence. Lincoln was a liberty and equality front runner; hence the event was essential to the President. Though the Union won the war, Lincoln reminded the attendants that the more significant task of maintaining and sustaining the forefather’s dream was still at hand. Equality and liberty occasioned by a government formulated by the people for the people (democracy) were the points of focus.
It was important to Lincoln that the democracy war did not end at the onslaught of the war. Fighting for democracy means that the author was a proponent of the Declaration of Independence. The Constitution encouraged slavery, which fought against the equality ideal (History.com Editors, 2019b), which was why the Gettysburg win was instrumental to Lincoln. The cemetery was where the victory was realized, albeit with many lives lost from the Union and Confederate armies. The orator’s speech was, therefore, simple and straight to the point focusing only on the situation at hand, which would be a defining moment for the U.S. The address turned out to be one of the greatest orations in history.
Correlation to Douglass Work
Fredrick Douglass was a runaway slave who became famous for antislavery messages. He consequently was an author and speaker who spread abolition rhetoric. After the Gettysburg win, the orator shifted focus from antislavery to equality. The equality message is similar to that of Lincoln, who was also against slavery. For example, in one of his speeches, Douglass indicated, “What to the American slave is your 4th of July?”(History.com Editors, 2019a).
Both individuals fought for freedom and equality and saw slavery as inhibition of equal rights. Abolitionist efforts by Douglass contributed to the war. The assertion by Fredrick is an indication that the end of the Civil war did not necessarily equate to an end to slavery. The speech by Lincoln also asserts “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” (History.com Editors, 2019b). The Gettysburg war though instrumental to the abolitionist war, was only the beginning of an equality war.
Conclusion
The Declaration of Independence is a document that rides on the liberty and equality precipice (National Archives, 2020), and the events at Gettysburg are synonymous with the declaration. Douglass and Lincoln are individuals associated with abolitionists, human rights, and equality campaigns. The two wrote speeches that moved the audience and made an impact on American history. The Lincoln speech focused not on the Gettysburg cemetery’s win or dedication but on the upcoming task after the civil war that would better honor the fallen soldiers. Unequal distribution of resources and the lack of recognition of all humans as equals would dishonor the war heroes. Douglass’s speech also intimated that the end of the civil war would not have any meaning if slavery continued (History.com Editors, 2019a) as it was an abuse of the very rights that the Declaration of Independence envisioned.
References
History.com Editors. (2019a). Frederick Douglass. History.com. Retrieved 5 June 2020, from
https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/frederick-douglass.
History.com Editors. (2019b).The Gettysburg Address. History. Retrieved 5 June 2020, from
https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/gettysburg-address.
National Archives. (2020). The Declaration of Independence. archives.gov. Retrieved 5 June
2020, from https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration.