Are you good with history? I need some help!?

Question

I have a paper due tomorrow about the Gettysburg Address. I've never been real good with history or why events happened, so if you can help me understand some basics about the Battle of Gettysburg, or Abe's famous speech, I would really appreciate it. Thanks!!

Answer 1

The Battle of Gettysburg was fought July 1,2,3 1863, on farm lands in southern Pennsylvania and was considered the turning point of the civil war. Up until that point, the confederacy had the upper hand, and after that point, the Union gained the advantage overall. Some claim that the battle happened by accident while the soldiers were looking for shoes, although I personally don't believe that theory. Lee did not know the position of the Union army, as his scout, Jeb Stuart was missing (he was in the Carlisle area), and had not reported back to him with the position of the Union army. Lee did want a victory on northern soil, to help crush union maral and to secure food and other supplies for his threadbare army. The armies did (sort of) stumble upon each other, and three days of fighting (including big round top, little round top, the wheatfield, seminary and cemetary ridge) in the farm lands ensued. The fighting also went through the town of Gettysburg - amazingly, there was only 1 civilian casualty. On the third day, General Longstreet (CSA) launched a full attack on the center of the union line, in what was called Longstreet's assault (now known as Pickett's charge). The attack failed miserably, resulting in the retreat of the southern forces. I won't go into full tactical detail, unless you need it. This is a very brief synopsis, but should at least give you the gist. You could probably try something like wikipedia or nps if you need more detail, as there is SO much involved with this battle.


Lincoln gave the Gettysburg address on November 19, 1863 at the dedication of the Soldiers National Cemetery in Gettysburg. Its one of THE most famous speeches in American history. It recognized the lives lost by Union soldiers, and reaffirmed the war effort. It is very short, so if you haven't, please look it up online and read it - it will give you a better understanding. If you learn nothing else about America's history, at least pay attention to the civil war. Its SO important.

Answer 2

Well Gettysburg was the single most devastating days of war every fought on American soil. Tens of thousands of men were killed in that war. So a gravesite in Gettysburg was essential. There's no transporting that many bodies back to the families they came from. President Lincoln wasn't even the keynote speaker for the cemetery dedication. The guy who spoke before him took two hours. Lincoln's speech lasted only a few minutes, and it is a heartfel, eloquent piece of writing. You can find a copy of the address on line somewhere pretty easily I'm sure. If I'm not mistaken, Lincoln's address was published in many of the newspapers of the day.

Hope I helped some, and good luck with your assignment.

Answer 3

Abe's famous 247 words, or whatever the number is, reads like a quick sermon. There's the ideal, the fall from Grace, the righteous recognition, and the path forward. It is succinct and timeless. It's a speech worthy of Shakespeare - perhaps one of the very finest public speeches ever made. As for the historical stage, I have no clue. I'm an English major who was not born in the States. Hopefully, someone else can help you with that. Good Luck.

Answer 4

For a young American to rely on Answers to do this is a sad commentary. Every American should know at some level how the civil war tore this country up. Brother fought brother, son fought father, neighbor fought neigbor, right here in our fields, towns, died by the thousands horrific deaths due mainly to disease. The battles would lean to the advantage of the south, then the north, then the south again, weeks, months and years of this bloodshed. Abe Lincoln, in one speech managed to pull a Humpty Dumpty moment by putting us all back together again with his Four score and 7 years speech on these Hallowed grounds....one of the shortest historic speeches ever made that carried so much historic weight. Googe, Yahoo, surf, search, whatever, but read the text of his speech and try to picture your town after a huge and deadly riot, people killed, upset, hurt scared, hopeless, all feeling futile and low, keep this in mind as you read President Abraham Lincon's words. That's why there is a reverence for some of presidents, not all, but some like him.

Answer 5

Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle of the civil war. Almost as many casualties as there are names on the Viet Nam wall. Lincoln wrote a very simple speech on the back on an envelope on the occasion of the dedication of the cemetary there. Very moving and stirring.

Answer 6

The Gettysburg Address is the most famous speech of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and one of the most quoted speeches in United States history.[1] It was delivered at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on November 19, 1863, during the American Civil War, four and a half months after the Battle of Gettysburg.

Lincoln's carefully crafted address, secondary to other presentations that day, came to be regarded as one of the greatest speeches in American history. In fewer than 300 words delivered in just over two minutes, Lincoln invoked the principles of human equality espoused by the Declaration of Independence and redefined the Civil War as a struggle not merely for the Union, but as "a new birth of freedom" that would bring true equality to all of its citizens.

Beginning with the now-iconic phrase "Four score and seven years ago," Lincoln referred to the events of the American Revolution and described the ceremony at Gettysburg as an opportunity not only to dedicate the grounds of a cemetery, but also to consecrate the living in the struggle to ensure that "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."


The only known photo of Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg (seated, center), taken about noon, just after Lincoln arrived and some three hours before he spoke. To Lincoln's right is his bodyguard, Ward Hill Lamon.Despite the speech's prominent place in the history and popular culture of the United States, the exact wording of the speech is disputed. The five known manuscripts of the Gettysburg Address differ in a number of details and also differ from contemporary newspaper reprints of the speech.

This was taken from www.wikipedia.org. Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gettysburg_address for the full article. It's really informative, concise, and will tell you what you need to know. You can also go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gettysburg for information on the Battle of Gettysburg.
Hope I helped! Good luck with your paper!

Answer 7

Man! I love American History it's so easy, but of coarse searching through google is a better idea. But here's some short stuff I know.

At the Battle of Gettysberg The Confederates heard about some shoes and went to town and bumpd into the Union. there they fought for three days. Yes they went for shoes! It's because the armies back than were very poor in supplies when it came to uniforms, but the Union still ahd more since th king cotton deal didn't help the Confederates much.

Anyways

I forget who won...just try google, but that is what i know!

Answer 8

A bunch of soldiers died in the Battle of Gettysburg. Abe thought was mean and nasty. But he was happy because, after that battle, the South surrendered to Abe. So, he just hung out at Gettysburg and said what a good deal it was that he won and that now he was President of EVERYONE, not just the Northern states. He was basically trying to convince everyone that it was a good thing they had the Civil War because now, his government represented everyone and always would.

Answer 9

the battle of gettysburg lasted three days and involved 50,000 total casualties. it was the single bloodiest battle of the war.

Lincoln's address was unusually short; in those days politicians spoke for hours (as they do today). Lincolns speech was incredibly short and solemn. which is what all speeches should be.

Answer 10

I bet wikipedia would help.