A short analysis of the Gettysburg Addres by Abraham Lincoln.

1. The Gettysburg Address
Tim Trent, Ben Wagoner, Jaebong
Lee, Carina Cho

2. Abraham Lincoln
• Sixteenth president of the
United States
• Son of a Kentucky farmer,
not very educated
• Believed the secession of
the confederate states to
be illegal
• Worked tirelessly to gain
knowledge

3. Subject
• The dedication of the Gettysburg battlefield
• Lincoln used a theme of nationalism to
convince the audience.

4. Info on Gettysburg
• Did not win the war or have major aim
for the north or the south, but did serve
as a major battle in the war.
• More than 51,000 confederate and union
soldiers were wounded, missing or dead.
• The dead had no place to be buried, so
David Wills was commissioned to
purchase land for a proper burial site for
the deceased Union soldiers.
• Wills acquired 17 acres for the cemetery,
which was planned and designed by
landscape architect William Saunders.

5. The state of the Civil War
• Largest number of casualties in the
war
• A successful defense of Robert E.
Lee’s Gettysburg campaign.
• Leading up to the battle of
Gettysburg general Lee had been
making great headway to defeat
the Union, but this battle served as
a turning point, halting his invasion.
• This battle sent general Lee’s
troops into defense, as opposed to
their dominant invasion.

6. Audience
• The Citizens of the Union
• The Union Soldiers
fighting in the civil war
• The rest of America part
of the struggle

7. Purpose
• Abraham Lincoln was worried about the upcoming election so he
wanted to unify his party under his leadership. He wanted to gain
support by appealing to as many different people as possible.
• Lincoln was trying to motivate and honor the soldiers of the
northern states to continue through the Civil War. He focused on
the noble ambitions and ideals of the war and the reasons for
fighting.
• The consecration of the Gettysburg cemetery in Pennsylvania was a
state event and Lincoln recognized the importance of it.
• The ideals that Lincoln put forth in the Gettysburg Address were
ideals that all Americans, no matter their political thoughts, could
accept and rally behind.

8. Tone
• Lincoln has a very
passionate tone
throughout the
speech.
• It allows him to fully
convey his emotions.

9. Rhetorical Strategies
• Pathos Appeals:
– “The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here,
have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add
or detract.”
– “… that we here highly resolve that these dead shall
not have died in vain…”
• Repetition:
– “We can not dedicate – we cannot consecrate – we
cannot hallow – this ground.”
– “…that government of the people, by the people, and
for the people…”

10. Effectiveness of Speech
• Effective due to it’s timing
– Occurred very soon after a huge war with
numerous injuries and losses
• Effective due to it’s powerful statements
– “…that cause for which they gave the last full
measure of devotion…”
– Incredibly inspirational, and effectively converted
the graveness of the battle into passion for the
war.

11. Text Works Cited
• http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents
/abrahamlincoln/
• http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash
=true&doc=36
• http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/linc
oln/sites/gettysburg.htm
• Rhetorical Strategies Handbook
• American Lit Textbook

12. Picture Citations (In order of
Appearance)
• http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/abrahamlin
coln/
• http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/gal/ichi11483.jpg
• http://loyalkng.com/wp-
content/uploads/2010/11/Abraham-Lincolns-Gettysburg-
Address-Revisited-by-Adam-Gault-Read-by-Mitch-
Rapoport.jpg
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gettysburg
• http://a4cgr.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/robert-e-lee.jpg
• http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8dLGp7jLbio/SwYZrcu6JqI/AAA
AAAAACE4/cK6ryfLqS3U/s400/getty.jpg
• http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_n0kOLTsDBsw/SOts1brxCjI/AAA
AAAAAAdc/yi4Bg9ewh4w/s400/angry+abe.jpg