The Significance of the Gettysburg Address Today: The Lessons of the Past That Will Guide People into the Future

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Table of Contents

Abstract
Conclusion: The Words That Make an Everlasting Impact
Reference List

Abstract

This paper deals with the effect of the Gettysburg Address on the United States of the present days. Despite the fact that the era in which the Gettysburg Address was written is gone, as well as the American people whom the speech was intended for, its legacy still lives on.

While Lincoln obviously intended the speech for the soldiers and their families, i.e., the people who had witnessed the Civil War, the ideas that the Gettysburg Address incorporates are still topical for the modern American citizens. However, some of the ideas conveyed by Lincoln in the Address can be interpreted in a different way nowadays.

Introduction: Embarking onto a Time Machine

Being future-oriented is important, but sometimes it is necessary to take a retrospective on some of the historical events to make sure that valuable lessons from previous experiences are learned and none of the past mistakes are repeated.

Since even today, in the realm of democracy of the United States, certain political and social remain unresolved, one of the greatest and the most memorable speeches of all times, the Gettysburg Address, deserves taking a closer look at. Understanding what the latter means for the modern society will help solve some of the issues on the United States’ agenda.

What Gettysburg Address Meant back in 1863

Before going any further, it is essential to evaluate the meaning of the Gettysburg Address on the people of 1863. Despite the fact that not a single word of the Gettysburg Address has been changed, for the modern people, it means something other than for those whom this speech was intended first for. Taking a look back in time will allow to see what Lincoln tried to convey in his message to the American people.

First and foremost, the Gettysburg Address touched upon the key principles of democracy and “a new birth of freedom” (Elmore, 2009, 40). In addition, the speech addressed the idea of nation’s identity and integrity: “The metaphor of birth and rebirth is the unifying metaphor of the Gettysburg Address” (Elmore, 2009, 40).

The last and the most important segment of the Gettysburg Address concerned the grief of those whom the war had taken their family members or beloved ones from, reassuring that “… a nation torn by civil war could restore itself” (Elmore, 2009, 42). Expressing his concern and empathy, Lincoln managed to make the Gettysburg Address the most powerful and inspiring speech in the history of the United States.

The Significance of the Gettysburg Address Today

Of course, for modern people, the Gettysburg Speech means not exactly what it did for the XIX century America. Now that the threat for the nation to be torn apart is no longer in existence, the Gettysburg Address has turned into a guide into the brave new world of future. With the help of the democratic principles that are established in the Gettysburg Address, people will be able to see how much democracy has progressed. Moreover, the Gettysburg Address shows the necessity to put a stop to often occurring instances of discrimination.

It is obvious, however, that in the modern settings, the Gettysburg Address cannot be interpreted in the same was it was in 1864. Nowadays, the speech must be considered through the lens of the present-day reality. With new developments and new challenges to face, the postulates of the Gettysburg Address can gain a new shade of meaning.

The meaning of the Gettysburg Address in the context of peacetime

Needless to mention, the Gettysburg Address was meant for the people who knew the price of the terrible bloodbath that the Civil War was. Lincoln obviously addressed the people who knew what it was like to lose, which means that the people of 1864 took the speech much more personally and quite literally. Therefore, the mentioning of the thousands of dead soldiers does not bring the audience to tears; it rather reminds of their obvious duty to respect other ethnicities’ rights.

New epoch, new challenges: on the existing types of discrimination

It might seem that it has been quite a while since the principles of democracy have been established for people to have any sort of racial prejudice discriminate against other ethnicities.

However, according to the existing records, over the past few years, discrimination is still an issue in the United States: according to the data offered by Ferber, in 2000s, the motivation behind 82% of hate crimes in the USA was race (Ferber, 2012). Therefore, Gettysburg Address, which proclaimed equality and democracy, still bears its initial purpose of guiding people towards creating a democratic society.

The Gettysburg Address in advent of the new type of society

Speaking of the way people’s attitude towards the Gettysburg Address has changed, one must mention that the speech was written and performed in a completely different epoch; moreover, it was witnessed by a different kind of society.

To be more exact, the gap between the industrial society of the XIX century and the post-industrial one that people live now in is quite tangible. However, there are certain similarities between these two society types; each of them are driven by technological progress, and each aim at establishing equality as their guiding principle.

What Might Stand in the Way: Overcoming the Possible Obstacles

While fighting for the rights of the people who are discriminated against is very noble, not all members of the modern American society may accept the ideas of Gettysburg Address easily. There are several reasons for people to perceive the Gettysburg Address in a wrong way, and these reasons need to be discussed.

Corruption of power and the related threats

It might be argued that the ideals of the modern society are not the same as the ones of the 1864 and that there are traces of corruption in the government (Genovese & Farrar-Myers, 2010). In fact, some historians tend to consider Lincoln’s speech a kind of a manipulative tool as well: “Many responded to the address as a political tool of Lincoln’s troubled presidency” (Olson, 2004, 38). Therefore, some people might believe that modern society is far too corrupted to be changed into a more democratic one.

Urgent economical an financial issues to solve

Finally, the significance of the postulates that the Gettysburg Address set can be somewhat blurred in the light of the current economical and financial issues. However, it is important to remember that social integrity and justice are especially significant when the state faces crisis. No matter what issues a state might face, justice in relationships between its citizens must remain the key priority, which the Gettysburg Address proclaims.

Conclusion: The Words That Make an Everlasting Impact

Even though it has been quite a while since the last word of the Gettysburg Address rang, the significance of the message that Lincoln conveyed to the American nation still remains just as high, and his democratic legacy lives on. Lincoln helped the American nation find their identity, and in the XXI century, it is the task of the citizens of the USA to follow the postulates of the Gettysburg Address in the new settings.

Reference List

Elmore, A. E. (2009). Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address: Echoes of the Bible and Book of Common Prayer. Carbondale, IL: SIU.

Ferber, A. L. (2012). Home-grown hate: Gender and organized racism. New York, NY: Routledge.

Genovese, M. A. & Farrar-Myers, V. A. (2010). Corruption and American politics. Amherst, NY: Cambria Press.

Olson, S. P. (2004). Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address: A primary source investigation. New York, NY: Rosen Publishing Group.

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