GETTYSBURG ADDRESS/EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION 1

Gettysburg Address/Emancipation Proclamation

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In his Emancipation Proclamation, made on January 1st, 1863, and his Gettysburg

Address, issued on November 19th, 1863, Abraham Lincoln positioned himself for practical and

idealistic measures to bring an end to the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation

proclamation pronounced slavery abolished in the Confederate states in rebellion during 1863.

Lincoln wrote his Gettysburg Address to honour the people who died there and encourage others

to fight on. It was dedicated to preserving a portion of the battlefield, later known as the Soldiers'

National Cemetery, and honour the dead's sacrifice.

During his Gettysburg Address, Lincoln stated that the civil war wasn't just a fight for

independence; it was a fight for equality and liberty for all. Lincoln had previously been opposed

to this idea. Lincoln's primary goal throughout the war was to preserve the Union rather than

focus on slavery. Regardless of how slaves were owned and overworked in the southern states,

Lincoln was willing to go to any lengths to keep the U.S together. Lincoln considered all the

possibilities during that time, even if it meant doing what he disagreed with to maintain the

Union. A reasonable and obligatory war measure for minimizing the insurgency at that time,

Lincoln proclaimed, "As a war measure, designate and order...the states and parts of states whose

citizens areas of this day in insurrection against the U.S." (Lincoln, 1863).

Lincoln's proposal for the Emancipation Proclamation was idealistic since it promised to

free slaves in Confederate territories. However, actual freeing did not occur. Lines 57-58 of the

Emancipation Proclamation stated, "...all persons held as slaves within the terms of this

proclamation shall be free in the designated states, territories, and parts of states" (Lincoln,

1863). In the 1860s, few slaves were freed because slavery was still illegal on the property of the
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Confederacy and because the Confederacy governed the land. The Emancipation Proclamation

didn't benefit states nearby the border of the Union that still had slaves during the period

indicated in the background but challenged the north's goal of achieving victory. Slave freeing

legislation was eventually passed both at the state and federal levels. By ensuring liberty did not

have a privileged status for a few idealistic idealists, Abraham Lincoln transformed America.

Yet, a nation standing together for its defence can achieve that goal with its collective actions

and efforts on the battlefield.

Lincoln hoped that the "unfinished business" of those who fought at Gettysburg could be

completed by trying to preserve the kind of nation that America's founders intended. According

to the Gettysburg Address, equality, independence, and democracy are fundamental values. Lines

103-109 of The Gettysburg Address state, the great task we remain dedicated to is to redouble

our devotion to the cause for which these honoured dead offered the final full measure of

devotion; to ensure that this country, shall have a new birth of freedom, under God; and to ensure

that these dead did not die in vain. (Lincoln, 1863).

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address both present many of Lincoln's

thoughts. Keeping the union intact was his main goal, and he was willing to do anything to

achieve that goal, even if it meant violating his own beliefs. Lincoln needed to inspire and satisfy

those around him to preserve the union. By doing so, he promised freedom and memorialized

those who perished in service to our greater good. Lincoln had a wide range of opinions about

the outcome of the Civil War, from practical to idealistic, whether they were views that could or

could not be realized.

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Work Cited

Lincoln, A.. (1863). The Emancipation Proclamation. https://www.excelhighschool.com

Lincoln, A.. (1863). The Gettysburg Address. https://www.excelhighschool.com