Gettysburg Address: Actions Stronger Than Words Essay Example

Through early American history each new action and document established an important precedent for the young nation. For example, the Declaration of Independence created the foundation of a new country by not only declaring independence, but also by establishing essential truths on which the nation would be based. Equally important is the Gettysburg Address, which not only motivated future action, but also summarized actions that preceded it. In the Gettysburg Address, President Lincoln advances the idea that difficult tasks, such as wars, should be pursued to their successful completion in order to honor the fallen, a philosophy which has motivated many causes in United States history.
In his short address, given at the dedication of the Gettysburg cemetery, Lincoln advocates the idea of continued conflict in order to honor the deceased. In fact, Lincoln clearly articulates this thought in his words “that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion” (Lincoln). This phrasing actually states the intention toward an even greater commitment to warfare, which in the context of the Civil War up to 1863, is significant. By that point in the war, some of the bloodiest battles in American history had already occurred, namely the battles of Antietam and Gettysburg. An increased commitment to war then implies even more bloodshed. However, based on this speech, the further deaths would be motivated, based on Lincoln’s assertion “these dead shall not have died in vain” (Lincoln). So, in essence, killing begets more killing, but in an honorable manner.
Curiously, the Civil War itself could be seen as a previous manifestation of this assertion and commitment. According to several historians, each conflict in history often carries in it the seeds of the next conflict after it. This assertion was made mostly in reference to the conflicts in Europe, particularly in the early twentieth century. However, it could easily be attributed to earlier conflicts, particularly the Civil War. Leading up to the Civil War, there were several incidents of violence concerning slavery in areas such as Kansas and West Virginia, as well as all the individuals who died in captivity. The protests and revolts follow in line literally with Lincoln’s assortment of honoring the dead through continued work on the cause in which the original conflict. However, perhaps more compelling motivation and widespread motivation for the war, at least for some, would be the individuals who died in slavery.
This greater human cause, the liberation of individuals from slavery, highlights a central point in Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. At the very beginning of the speech, Lincoln says that their “new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal” (Lincoln). As has been argued countless times through the history of the United States, slavery directly contradicts the ideas of liberty and universal equality, by virtue of the facts of the master-slave dynamic. By mentioning it in his speech, Lincoln then brings slavery back into the conversation about the causes of the Civil War. The notion of freedom as a central aspect of the nation also ends the speech, as demonstrated by the phrase “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom” (Lincoln). Not only does the phrasing state Lincoln’s intentions for the Civil War, but also goes a step further in interpreting the intentions of the Founding Fathers. This then creates an entirely new dynamic for the course of the nation.
This notion of freedom not only serves as a basis for the Civil War but for so many other rebellions and conflicts in United States history. In fact, the American Revolution was based on the ideas of life and liberty, as articulated initially by English philosopher John Locke (ushistory.org). As universal ideas, these two words have meaning to everyone, no matter where they are from or what they believe. Additionally, as very board, general words, life and liberty can be interpreted in multiple ways, depending on the situation. After the founding of the United States, numerous revolts such as the Whiskey Rebellion, the Women’s Suffrage Movement, and Nat Turner’s Rebellion occurred due to the idea that a particular group’s freedoms were being violated. While these protests are based on the idea of freedom, the interested parties and topics were each radically different. This illustrates that the idea of freedom is constantly evolving with the times and situations in which the events occur.
Consequently, each push for freedom seems to be motivated and encouraged by the freedoms gained from previous groups. For example, the women’s suffrage movement gained more momentum and proponents once the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments were ratified, giving black men citizenship and the right to vote (Buescher). This differs from the previously mentioned relationship of one event causing the other because black men and white women, who seemed to pioneer the suffrage movement, as a whole did not participate in any direct conflict. Instead, the women most likely drew motivation from the gains the African Americans. Similarly, Asian Americans gained many of their more liberal freedoms based on the result of World War II (Nakagawa). While this was not primarily the result of the group for which it most benefited, it does reinforce the idea that seeds from one event lead to the next. These ultimately helped to build the narrative of increased equal rights.
Lincoln’s dedication to a new-found, increased level of freedom is still in effect today through the struggles to gain universal equality. In fact, some of the largest news stories of the past year have been the legalization of same-sex marriage, the growing understanding of transgender people, and fighting paranoia regarding immigrants and those of different backgrounds. These issues highlight groups that have faced discrimination in the past as well as segments of the population that don’t represent the whole. Each of the gains could be based on the previous gains of other groups, such as same-sex couples gaining advantages based on the gains of women. These progressive gains only underscore Lincoln’s commitment that “that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth” (Lincoln). While this continual expansion of freedoms may not be specifically motivated by Lincoln’s speech, the progression towards a universal freedom and equality illustrates how important Lincoln’s words were in the continued development of the United States of America. However, as an important document in the course of American history, the Gettysburg Address has undoubtedly been used as a rationalization for extending these freedoms.

Works Cited

Buescher, John. “Voting Rights and the 14th Amendment.” teachinghistory.org. Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media. n.d. Web. 8 Jan. 2016.
Lincoln, Abraham. “The Gettysburg Address.” Cornell University Library. Cornell University. n.d. Web. 6 Jan. 2016.
Nakagawa, Scot. “Three Things Asian Americans Owe to the Civil Rights Movement.” Race Files. Change Labs. 31 Jul. 2013. Web. 9 Jan. 2016.
ushistory.org. “Foundations of America.” American Government. 2016. Web. 8 Jan. 2016.