The Arguments of the Gettysburg Address

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The Gettysburg Address is one of the most famous speeches in American history. The History Place indicates that on November 19, 1863 President Abraham Lincoln went to a battle field positioned in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania where three dreadful days of battle occurred called the Battle of Gettysburg. While he was attending the battle field to dedicate it as a national cemetery, he read his speech to the public. After the main orator, Edward Everett of Massachusetts, delivered his speech that lasted about two hours, it was Lincoln’s turn. Everyone was shocked that it only lasted a little over two minutes. The speech talked about the men who fought in the Civil War to help create the nation people have today: that it is only fair to honor them with a portion of the field to lay them to rest. However the condition of the land is when each man is laid to rest should be the last it is messed with. Everything is already taken care of and should not be changed or improved. Some people will not always remember the moment in history, but no one will forget what happened. In his speech, Lincoln used the emotional, ethical, and logical appeals. This helped him get his point of the two arguments across to the people and helped the people understand what he was saying.

When reading the Gettysburg Address, people can take two sides of the speech. One side includes just letting the past be the past. This means doing nothing more to support the battle. The other side is to support what happened on the field and all the men who fought in the battle for the United States as well as to remember the importance of the battle. Lincoln made it clear that there are two sides of arguments. Should people just leave the past where it is today or support it? ...

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...s is just one marvelous example of a two-sided argument. Abraham Lincoln had a good way of arguing for both sides with emotional, ethical, and logical appeals. It may be hard for some people to choose, so they stay neutral. Has anyone chosen a side? Should the past stay the past, or should people support what happened and remember it by improving and reintroducing history? The choice is now to be made.

Works Cited

"Abraham Lincoln - The Gettysburg Address." The History Place. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. .

"The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln." NetINS Showcase. Web. 23 Feb. 2010. .

Lunsford, Andrea A., John J. Ruszkiewicz, and Keith Walters. Everything's an

Argument: with Readings. 4th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007. Print.

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