Makenna Counts

Dr. Angela Green

Writ 220

25 February 2025

Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address: A Rhetorical Analysis

​ On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered what would become one

of the most famous speeches in American history: the Gettysburg Address. The Battle of

Gettysburg, of which he spoke, was actually fought four and a half months earlier, between July

1st and July 3rd of 1863. The Civil War’s bloodiest battle took the lives of approximately 50,000

soldiers, Union and Confederate alike. It was a decisive Union victory, and served as a turning

point in the war. As the battleground became the final resting place for many of the fallen

soldiers, it was formally dedicated as a National Cemetery. This dedication ceremony became the

impetus for Lincoln’s famed address. However, he was not meant to be the keynote speaker at

the ceremony witnessed by 15,000; this honor belonged to the politician and pastor Edward

Everett, whose oration lasted two hours and consisted of 13,607 words. In contrast, Lincoln’s

address was notably brief, only 271 words and approximately two minutes long, and he was

likely sick with smallpox during its delivery. Circumstance would point to Everett’s speech

lasting the test of time, and yet Lincoln’s words are etched in marble at his memorial in the

nation’s capital. While the conscious brevity of the Gettysburg Address lends to its memorability,

Lincoln’s display of rhetorical mastery and potent diction deliver a timeless message of national

unity and reverence for the honored dead.

​ It is important to note that several versions of the Gettysburg Address exist, each with

slight variations. There are several reasons for this. Lincoln himself wrote five different
manuscripts of the address, given to five different individuals. As there is no recording of this

speech, it is difficult to know the exact words he spoke, and live transcriptions of the speech

differ slightly. However, one copy has become the standard version of the Gettysburg Address by

virtue of Lincoln’s signing and dating of it—this is the Bliss copy. The Bliss copy will be

referred to for the purposes of this essay.

​ Lincoln begins his address with a unique approach, reminding his audience of the

principles upon which the Founding Fathers built the nation. He declares that, “Four score and

seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty,

and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” Lincoln’s allusion to the

Declaration of Independence with the phrase “all men are created equal” is a seemingly arbitrary

choice, considering his task is to “formally set apart [the battle] grounds to their sacred use by a

few appropriate remarks.” However, by choosing this phrasing from the Declaration, Lincoln is

reminding his audience one of the reasons they are fighting in a Civil War—to end slavery and

secure freedom for all men. By highlighting this noble cause, Lincoln also gives the sacrifice of

the fallen soldiers greater meaning. Lincoln also makes an interesting choice by describing the

writing of the Declaration as “four score and seven years ago,” instead of merely “eighty-seven

years ago,” the length of time from 1776 to 1863. This archaic language promptly enhances

Lincoln’s dignity and establishes his eloquence. His powerful opening line also exhibits several

instances of alliteration, including “score” and “seven,” “fathers” and “forth,” and “new nation.”

This creates a smooth flow and lends to memorability, which might have helped this opening line

achieve the fame it did.

​ Lincoln officially sanctifies the battleground in the following sentences, using

parallelism, anaphora, and the repetition of consonants to emphasize his points. He continues the
address by claiming, “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or

any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.” Immediately, Lincoln introduces

parallelism to his speech by repeating the words “nation,” “conceived,” and “dedicated” in the

same order they appeared in the opening line. This was surely intentional, designed to emphasize

the theme of freedom and equality he establishes by referencing the Declaration of

Independence. His use of parallelism continues in the form of anaphora in the following

sentences, as he states, “We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate

a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation

might live.” Lincoln begins each sentence of his second paragraph with “we,” creating a parallel

structure. This establishes a rhythmic pattern to his speech, and again lends to its coherence and

memorability. The final sentence of this paragraph reads, “It is altogether fitting and proper that

we should do this.” While the choice of diction in this sentence adds to its emotional depth by

conveying respect for the dead, it also establishes the repetition of paired “p” and “f” sounds that

contribute once more to the flow and memorability of the address. In the three sentences

previously discussed, Lincoln uses the phrases “portion of that field,” “final resting place,” and

“fitting and proper.” This clearly intentional rhetorical choice, along with those aforementioned,

displays Lincoln's rhetorical mastery as he conveys a reminiscent message of the nation’s values

and reverence for the fallen soldiers.

​ The remainder of the address consists of only four sentences. In the final sentence,

Lincoln delivers a powerful conclusion to his speech through his elevated diction and a stirring

call to action. This final sentence, consisting of five clauses, reads:

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from

these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last
 full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died

in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that

government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Highly expressive and emotional, Lincoln’s final remarks serve his direct purpose of

consecrating the National Cemetery well. He places upon himself and his audience the cause of

the fallen—that of freedom and national unity—and calls for “increased devotion” and “[high]

resolve” so that the dead “shall not have died in vain.” Lincoln tethers this final sentence to his

first with the phrase “new birth of freedom,” which parallels the “new nation, conceived in

Liberty” he describes in the opening line. This intentional, elevated diction highlights Lincoln’s

message of national unity while simultaneously expressing appropriate reverence for the

“honored dead.”

Abraham Lincoln is well-known for his eloquent speech. The Gettysburg Address,

perhaps his most famous speech, is a prime example of how intentional rhetorical choices and

eloquent diction create memorable and impactful rhetoric. While the Gettysburg Address

remains unique on account of its brevity, its message of national unity and deep appreciation for

sacrifice gives it relevance. Even today, Lincoln’s words continue to speak to the hearts of

Americans. ​
 Works Cited

Small, Albert H. “The Gettysburg Address.” Smithsonian, 21 November 2008, ​

​ https://americanhistory.si.edu/documentsgallery/exhibitions/gettysburg_address_2.html