GETTYSBURG ADDRESS

Gettysburg Address

Gettysburg Address

In 1863, the sixteenth President of the United States found himself engulfed by a horrific civil war and in leading his people to victory, Abraham Lincoln found himself in a predicament that required a well thought out motivational presentation. He found that opportunity with the address at Gettysburg. President Lincoln knew his people were dissatisfied with the loss of so many comrades and knew there must be a way he could prove that the lives of so many fallen soldiers, husbands, and sons were worth the efforts to restore the land of the free. The statement made in the Gettysburg Address to the people was a perfect example and in essence the embodiment of perfect communication.

The audience of the Gettysburg Address was the people of the nation who had lost the company of thousands of fellow countrymen. Many people related to the deceased in many ways, be it spouse, child, parent, cousin, or any other relationship one may have with another, the community felt a direct blow with the loss of so many. The leader of the nation with so many fallen soldiers, Abraham Lincoln knew his people were frustrated with the three year old war.

Abraham Lincoln came into office as President of the United States of America on March 4, 1861. During the inauguration President Lincoln attempted to prevent a major eruption of conflict by telling the people he had no intention of ending slavery and he hoped to resolve the countrywide predicament without struggle. However there was insecurity in the hearts of the leaders in the southern states. Followed by the bombardment of federal forts the southern states had declared war on the federal government, fearing a conspiracy the leaders of the southern states declared secession from the Union. The seceded states formed the Confederate States of America and led a seriously threatening campaign against the United States.

It was that campaign that had led up to the battle of Gettysburg and had left over three thousand soldiers with nowhere to be laid to rest. The local government of Pennsylvania had organized a plan to make an official national cemetery reserved for those that died in the horrific battle that hit so hard on the home of that community. As a special request the Pennsylvania Governor Andrew Gregg Curtin had rallied for the support of the nations leader, President Lincoln to appear and participate in ceremonies that were scheduled for November 19, 1863 to fulfill the indulgences of the people in that community.

The President drafted a speech with great thought and revised the speech in Gettysburg the night before dedication of the cemetery in the home of the man responsible for the purchase of the land selected for the burial grounds, David Wills, David Wills was also the man responsible for inviting President Lincoln to the dedication of the cemetery. With the speech complete and presented to the people in just two minutes, the President "remarked to a friend: 'That speech won't ...