2007-04-23 12:48:57 · 13 answers · asked by Nayana R 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
~Just exactly what the words say. Lincoln was speaking in English at Gettysburg and he wasn't using a code. What is your difficulty here? Would you prefer he was more eloquent and said simply "democracy"?
The fallacy of the entire address is that the dead on each side were killed fighting to preserve a democratic government, or more accurately, a representative republic. The US was never a democracy in the true sense of the word and still isn't. The constitution precludes that.
There was never a threat during the civil war that government of the people, by the people, for the people, might perish from the earth. The CSA had as solid a democracy as did the USA. Regardless of the outcome of the war, that government would continue to exist, either in a single nation or in one large nation in the north and in several smaller nations in the south who were democratically confederated together in a commonwealth of sorts.
Lincoln was eloquent and moving, to be sure, but I think he dishonored the dead by lying about the cause for which they died, or, worse still, in not understanding what the war was about and what they died for.
From the southern perspective, the war was about maintaining a government of the people, by the people and for the people (ie: state's rights) From the northern perspective, the war was prosecuted to subjugate a large minority of the population to the will of the mafority and keep them in bondage to the federal government against their will (ie: preserve the union).
If Lincoln's words praise the principles for which either side was fighting and dying by the little catch-phrase he used in conclusion, necessarily he was praising the Confederate dead. And no one at the time (or today for that matter) understood that irony about what is considered one of the finest orations in American history.
2007-04-23 12:58:15 · answer #1 · answered by Oscar Himpflewitz 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In the mind of the speaker of those words, Abraham Lincoln, they meant "the last best hope of mankind," popular government, chosen by the people and responsible to them.
In his remarks he was pointing up that if the North lost the Civil War and democracy was shown to have failed in its birth place, there was little or no hope that such a form of government would be adopted or remain unchallenged anywhere on the globe. We were the defenders of popular government,"last best hope."
Consider the wisdom of that man and the magnificence of his language contrasted with the desecration of the office he held by the present unintelligent occupant, a man with no distinction of mind or character who cannot articulate even his own crude ideas correctly in his mother tongue. How have we fallen?
2007-04-23 20:11:44 · answer #2 · answered by john s 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It means that government exists at the will of the people who elect them and that the government is there to serve the people.
Chow!!
2007-04-23 19:52:33 · answer #3 · answered by No one 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
it is supposed to mean that the government consists of regular people, gathered together to represent regular people, that is ultimately designed for the good of all of the poeple, but i think that is the ideal not the realtity.
2007-04-23 19:52:54 · answer #4 · answered by Vee 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a true democracy... government of people working for their country and people voting for their government
2007-04-23 19:52:55 · answer #5 · answered by JAM2DMB 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Supposed to be a democracy. But for George W, Its government of an asshole for an asshole by an asshole. The people are supposed to matter, but we dont.
2007-04-23 19:53:56 · answer #6 · answered by ♥mama♥ 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
it means that we are supposed to be a democracy. that the creation of our laws and morals are 'of the people', that every decision made is 'for the people's' benefit, meaning to better our communities and that each and every individual has an equal chance to speak freely and alter our laws, since its 'by the people' of course.
2007-04-23 19:56:11 · answer #7 · answered by Camilah J 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
it basically means the government is of the citizens, and its rules are for the citizens and it is created by the citizens, so basically the government is fair.
2007-04-23 19:54:01 · answer #8 · answered by slashrocks25 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
it can be understood in three parts... of the people mean it comprises of people, for the people mean its meant to serve people n by the people refer to the election procedure in which people elect the govt.
2007-04-24 06:27:28 · answer #9 · answered by warrior prince 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It means "WE " the people. not "I " the people!
Too bad Bush doesn't believe that.
2007-04-23 20:10:01 · answer #10 · answered by billy brite 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋