Perhaps every educated citizen of the United States knows very well what Gettysburg speech is, how it is known when and by whom it was delivered. It is studied by both historians and rhetoric experts, so itâs at least a little useful for every reader to learn about it.
Background
To begin with, it was said by the then current President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It happened on November 19, 1863. Gettysburg Speech by Abraham Lincoln was delivered at the opening of a soldierâs cemetery in Gettysburg, PA.
People, at least a little interested in the history of the United States, are well aware that in 1863 a civil war broke out in this country. It lasted from 1861 to 1865. However, the decisive battle took place precisely in 1863. Due to serious numerical superiority (94 thousand against 72 thousand), the northerners managed to defeat the Confederation, whose soldiers fought for the exercise of their civil law - secession from the country (yes, such a clause is really present in the US Constitution).
This battle became the most bloody in the history of the civil war - in just three days, about 50 thousand people were killed, seriously injured or missing - a terrifying number for that time. It was she who turned the tide of the war, giving an unequivocal advantage to the northerners - after that, although the southerners fought valiantly and with frenzy, the end was a foregone conclusion.
More than three months passed after the battle, and one of the most famous soldierâs cemeteries in the United States, Gettysburg, opened near the battlefield. It was at its opening that Lincoln delivered a speech that became one of the greatest in the history of the country.
Main content
The speech was very short - it contained only 272 words, and its utterance took a little more than two minutes. Very contrasted with the speech of Edverd Everett - Governor of Massachusetts, who also spoke there - his speech took about two hours and at the same time was insignificant. If you wish, you can easily find the text of the Gettysburg Lincoln speech in Russian.
In general, the US president mentioned the history of the creation of the country, and also thanked the soldiers of the North who fought, and many gave their lives so that the southern states (which brought most of the GDP) could not leave the country. He also urged the living to continue the war with the Confederation, to break it and return to the United States.
Great example of rhetoric
Just two-minute Gettysburg speech Lincoln made a splash. While the performance of Everett, which he had been preparing for two months, caught up with outright boredom for everyone present. But in just two minutes, Lincoln managed to instill pride in the hearts of all who heard his speech, as well as raise a patriotic spirit.
He managed to achieve all this thanks to his excellent knowledge of rhetoric.
He began with a short introduction:
Eighty-seven years have passed since our fathers founded a new nation on this continent.
This technique is called âtell a storyâ by experts. We need to tell people some fact that everyone already knows. Nevertheless, it attracts the attention of listeners, helps them to fully penetrate the speech.
Then he noted:
The nation owes its birth to freedom and is convinced that all people are born equal.
That is, he expressed an idea with which each of his many listeners will unequivocally agree. Who doesnât want to be free and equal in the âland of opportunityâ? The level of critical thinking will decrease significantly and all subsequent words will be perceived much easier.
Lincoln also skillfully and actively inserted the pronouns âweâ and âoursâ into his speech. That is, he did not separate himself from ordinary soldiers who died on the battlefields (often under the guidance of inexperienced commanders - the âgreatestâ General Ulysses Grant earned the nickname âThe Butcherâ among the military), so the audience became even more trusted in the speaker.
Finally, he used the call for the "unpleasant", that is, the continuation of the war, in which many more ordinary people lay their heads:
Let us solemnly swear that their death will not be in vain, that this God-preserved nation will gain renewed freedom, and that the power of the people, by the will of the people and for the people, will not disappear from the face of the earth.
However, after preliminary psychological preparation, when the patriotic spirit of the soldiers was raised to the maximum, and critical thinking was noticeably reduced, his proposal was enthusiastically accepted. It never occurred to anyone to refuse to continue the war after the president himself delivered such an encouraging speech.
As you can see, many of the rhetoric techniques were used professionally and in a very limited time speech. It is no coincidence that it is considered an excellent example of eloquence.
Memory of speech
The speech delivered by Lincoln at the opening of the Gettysburg Cemetery was another stroke that made him almost related in the eyes of many Americans with celestials. No wonder she has been quoted in many newspapers and speeches. She is not forgotten today.
For example, in Washington you can see the Abraham Lincoln Memorial. At its foot is a stone slab on which the full text of the speech is carved.
Conclusion
Now readers know not only about the speech itself, but also about its semantic load, the authorâs high rhetorical art and a little more about the civil war - the most bloody in US history.