Colby Harter

Mrs. Grenz
Period 7 AP U.S. History
23 July 2015
College Board Essay
As Americans, were all undoubtedly familiar with the famous opening phrase,
Four score and seven years ago, or perhaps the triumphant closing remark, that
government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
However somehow the significance of the masterfully-written and soul-stirring address
delivered by Abraham Lincoln in Gettysburg, Ohio, in-between these expressions has not
been altogether recognized in popular society of this country one whose spirit of
survival and perseverance has been its lifeline and is fully embodied by the heart of this
document. Written on November 19,1863, this dedication of the Gettysburg Cemetery
honored those whove fallen for their ideals, called for a push to peace and demanded the
retaining of the American union, all the while beautifully inspiring the masses across the
country to take a stand for the completion of an unfinished mission, left behind by those
fallen brave soldiers put to rest underneath their own feet.
In the midst of a brutal Civil War, Americas great experiment was rapidly
crumbling on political, economic and social issues brought to light by the exposed
injustices of Southern slavery. A divide had now officially formed between the industrial
abolitionist forces of the North and the agrarian slaveholders of the South, and new
military technology was making this war one of the most deadly the world had yet seen.
With more and more casualties arising as major battles resulted simply in stalemates, the

Harter 2
responsibility of putting an end to the senseless violence of the war was as great as can be
imagined. Yet despite this, the North put into office a relatively obscure man of humble
origin into office as their commander-in-chief. The faith the Republicans of the North
had in his intelligence, honesty and drive bolstered his (rather unlikely) qualifications as a
potential end-all to slavery. But Lincoln, though greatly in favor of abolition, had a
second major goal in mind, which was not simply to end the slaughter of gruesome
warfare, but to re-unite these two feudal powers back to their previous state of harmony
and prosperity by whatever means necessary.
Though seemingly a simple dedication, Lincoln saw this address as an
opportunity to reach out to the populace who doubts the capabilities of their nation in
putting an end to the conflict through a simple but rhetorically brilliant speech. In his
speech, he crafts a carefully-developed commentary on the situation at hand with
references to the Bible and Declaration of Independence, while using repetition of words
and phrases throughout, which reflect his final goal. The famous opening line, Four
score and seven years ago is likely a reference to Psalms 90 verse 10, declaring with
similar diction The days of our years are threescore and ten, and its conclusion a
reference to the Declaration of Independence which the previous lines refer to, and its
stating, We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal This
opening statement attracts ones attention from that period as its reference to two
historical documents which are believed to individually be powerful and true leads one to
associate Lincoln himself with reliability, since he claims through these allusions that his
words will be just as trustworthy. The rest of his speech utilizes parallel structure within
and between sentences as well as distinct contrast to make his statements more poetic and

Harter 3
effective in its pathos. In example, he states for those who here gave their lives that
that nation might live, contrasting death and life as an overlap of soldiers for the good of
the nation. Another case of poetic rhetorical devices is forms of parallel structure and
repetition, such as the triad in government of the people, by the people, for the people.
Most striking and rhetorically moving, however, was his repetitive use of certain words
which each individually mean some greater part of Lincolns plan. The word we,
which serves to unify the audience and solidify the mold of the North, is repeated 10
times; the word here, which serves to emphasize the imminent importance of the war
and of the issue of slavery, is repeated 8 times; and the word nation, which rhetorically
relates to the United States as a whole entity rather than divided, is repeated 5 times.
Finally, the powerfully repetitive parallel structure of the final and longest statement in
the speech combines the previous rhetorical devices and powerfully connects back to the
Bible, enlightenment ideas of freedom and independence, etc. to remind the audience of
all that has been said and must result from it.
This poetic oration was not popularized until well after Lincolns death, however,
as many, including himself, did not believe it was a well-written or important speech for
the occasion. Now, on the other hand, the Address has been recognized as the epitome of
the American spirit of cooperation and determination to fix problems rather than look for
temporary solutions or run away from them altogether. His speech rededicated the
purpose of America to equality, to a benevolent government run by the people, and to the
unification of their great experiment in modern democracy. This Address connects to our
lives and our society even now as its ideals are still embraced by Western society today.
We know not of the times faced by Lincoln and the Americans of the Civil War era,

Harter 4
however the truly amazing thing about this oration is that it doesnt truly matter rather
than a direct, straightforward criticism of the South or list of fallen soldiers, Lincolns
words here simply were an application of a marvelous system.
To conclude, though the lines Four score and seven years ago will always ring
through the ears of many as being the start of a very important piece of our history, the
rhetorical brilliance of the small speech, the long-term effects and the extraordinary
events leading up to its conception make it one of the most effective, powerful and
important orations in all our countrys history.