One hundred and fifty years ago, more than 30,000 soldiers had died or were wounded after three days of battle at Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863. Four and a half months later, in one of the greatest speeches of American history, President Abraham Lincoln took part in a ceremony to dedicate the Soldiers’ National Cemetery at the battle’s site. With a remarkably concise address, he reiterated the principles of human equality in the Declaration of Independence, memorialized those who had given their lives at Gettysburg, and resolved that their deaths would not be in vain….
And then went right back to ignoring the Constitution whenever he felt like it.
I have a theory that one reason speeches become great is that the times in which they are spoken are momentous. A possible exception would be Kennedy’s inaugural speech, although it did have Cold War drama as a backdrop.
Is the writer talking about Union casualties only? Because there were more like 60,000 casualties at Gettysburg.
1. This was civil war, and in war….especially a civil war such as this one, some civil liberties are often restricted. No president had ever done it, and many criticized him for it. Nevertheless, President Lincoln acted to prevent treasonous acts from having an effect on his conduct of the war, and he suspended the right of Habeas Corpus solely for the duration of that war. That civil right was restored shortly after the war ended. I’m not sure whether it was President Lincoln or President Johnson who lifted the restriction.