Application of Various Rhetorical Concepts in The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln

It was November 1863, and President Abraham Lincoln was invited to speak at the opening of the National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Four months ago, at the same site, the Union soldiers became victorious against the Confederate in one of the most brutal battles in the Civil War. The speech was only roughly 300 words, but Lincoln made it one iconic speech that would last for coming generations. He recognized the significance of this war on the Union and presented his thoughts on the sacrifices of the Union troops and opened a new era of freedom. Lincoln also emphasized that slavery must be eradicated if the United States were to survive and fulfill its potential. However, what is incredible about this document is how Lincoln implied biblical allusions in his address, as a reference to how the United States, along its journey, will have God in presence to guide its way.

The 1800s marked a momentous time in the expansion of slavery in America, and the rise of the abolitionist movement to resist its influence. The struggles against slavery reached its pinnacle with the Civil War in the 1860s. A long-established disagreement between the Northern (Union) and Southern (Confederate) states on slavery sparked the battle. 1863 was a significant year in the Civil War, with the Emancipation Proclamation in effect, in which Lincoln demanded to free slaves in the southern states. Later that year, in July, both the Union and Confederate troops engaged in the Battle of Gettysburg, one of the bloodiest in the Civil War. The Confederate conceded, handing victory for the Union. It was a significant victory for the Union, and it would be the turning point of the war.

The Gettysburg Address was given during a time of deep division and confusion, and it was a motivation for the people to rebuild the country that could stand against time. The address is only ten sentences long, but its content and language have a long-lasting impact on generations. In the first paragraph, Lincoln coined the very first six words of the address “Four scores and seven years ago” as a reference back to 87 years ago (1776), the signing of the Declaration of Independence (one score is equivalent to twenty years). Coincidentally, the Union victory occurred on the Fourth of July 1863, which made this event more meaningful for Lincoln. He referenced the phrase “four score” from Psalm 90:10 in the King James Bible which includes the line: “and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” In Lincoln’s extended metaphor, the “strength” of the United States by November 1863 was just “labour and sorrow”, and the question then was whether the aging, wounded, and divided nation “can long endure”.

The remaining of the first sentence, Lincoln reminded everyone of the main principles of this country: conceived in liberty, and all men are created equal. However, slavery over the past decades went against those principles, and it was a threat to the freedom of America. The manner in which Lincoln wrote this speech gave a feeling that he wanted to emphasize the important words and phrases. In the opening sentence, the verb “brought forth”, “conceived”, and “dedicated” are positioned so that they receive an irresistible emphasis from the speaking voice. It is simply impossible to speak the opening sentence without rising our voice and strengthen the tone of these vital words.

The first sentence alone gave echoes of the Bible and Common Prayer. Lincoln used “dedicated” from the Prayer Book to complete the conception-birth-baptism of the nation. Meanwhile, the words “conceived” and “brought forth” were straight from the Bible. In short, echoing two gospels from the Bible and the language of baptism from the Prayer Book, Lincoln precisely invokes two Christian metaphors in his first line – conception-birth-baptism and birth-death-rebirth. The first metaphor implies the second because the symbolic meaning of any Christian is birth, death, and rebirth. The believer, born in original sin, symbolically dies to his or her sin in the cleansing water, then rises to newness of life or rebirth. In the summer of 1776, the first baptism by water brought a new name to a “new nation” that had been “conceived in liberty” and then dedicated to the sacred proposition that all men are created equal. 

In the second paragraph, Lincoln mentioned the struggle that the nation was dealing with: The Civil War, and the utmost respect for those who fought and sacrificed their lives. Lincoln’s concern was clear in the first sentence. America and its founding principles were challenged. He extended the importance of this fight: it was not whether America could survive the devastation of the war, but rather if those nations “so conceived, so dedicated, can long endure”. In other words, he wondered whether America, a nation founded on those founding principles, could withstand against time. In the following three sentences, Lincoln reminded the audience of the purpose of the ceremony. At the site of one of the deadliest and most heroic battles of the Civil War in Gettysburg, this ceremony was a recognition to those who have fallen for the country. He honored the sacrifice of the lives of people for maintaining the United States that our Fathers had desired back in 1776.

Lincoln addressed both the brave soldiers and the people, including himself, in the remaining of the second paragraph. The ground dedicated to those fallen was “consecrated”, or sacred, and no other humans could bless or dedicate them. Lincoln considered that the extreme sacrifice of the men and women deserved to be sacred into these grounds. He wanted to honor these courageous people in the manner that every American will always remember and value in their minds. Lincoln also uses contrast “nor long remember” and never forget” in this part to mention that actions speak louder than words. The world might not remember the words he delivered that day, but they will never forget the courage and bravery of soldiers in Gettysburg. Ironically, this speech would go on to become one of the most iconic addresses in American history, and it is one speech that future generations will also remember.

In the sixth sentence, Lincoln focuses on the famous trinity of active verbs – “dedicate”, “consecrate”, “hallow”. He introduces each of these words with the familiar words “we cannot”. It was not the Bible but the Book of Common Prayer that provided Lincoln’s precise and immediate source. These three words appeared together in one rousing sentence from a service in the Prayer Book called the Form of Consecration of a Church or Chapel. Lincoln managed to include all three terms within a single sentence, using them essentially as synonyms. 

For the finale, Lincoln reminded the people that there was still a war to fight and to continue the unfinished work of the fallen to preserve the freedom and liberty of the Union. “These honored dead” have fought for the cause, and they should be role models for every American to follow suit. Those still alive are responsible for ensuring that their sacrifice is not in vain and keep on fighting for freedom. Finally, Lincoln expressed hope that the United States, a nation under God, will enter a new era of freedom for the people, and building a democracy that lasts over time. This paragraph served to compare the purpose of this ceremony to the significant of the brave men who fought and sacrificed themselves for the greater cause.

Lincoln closes the address with the same metaphor with which he opens it – birth, baptism, and rebirth, but the baptism at the end of the address is different from the opening. The first baptism of water is for a newborn baby, a nation born on July 4, 1776, and it was applied in the two opening sentences. The baptism applied in the two closing sentences is for the same nation that has now grown up. The baptism Lincoln invokes at the end was not of water but fire. It is a baptism first described by John the Baptist in the Gospel of Mark. Lincoln hoped that this baptism by spirit and fire would bring forth a “new birth of freedom” upon the consecrated battlefield of Gettysburg in the dying autumn of 1863. He also believed this baptism would preserve forever upon this earth America’s form of democratic, representative government – “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” 

Throughout the address, Lincoln applied rhetorical devices which makes his speech more powerful for the audience. He used repetition on multiple words to emphasize the event itself. The word “here” appeared 7 times in the text to remind everyone of the importance of Gettysburg – the site of a crucial battle in the Civil War. He also repeated the word “we”, “us”, “our” in his speech to emphasize a united community during the midst of civil war and a deeply divided nation. Interestingly, Lincoln applied contrast in the second paragraph, noticeably when he said, “for those who died here, that the nation might live”. He signified the sacrifice of the soldiers so that the Union could standstill. Even though the Gettysburg Address was noticeably short, President Lincoln was a genius and rhetoric writer when he expressed many concepts in just a single sentence, and it forced the audience to think deeply about this great battle.

While the pain from the Civil War was evident in the mind of Americans at that time, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address was a source of motivation for the people to continue the “unfinished work” of the sacrificed soldiers. Not only that, this text would go on to be memorized by the coming generations. In just ten sentences, President Lincoln praised the courage of the men and women in preserving the Union and expressed his hope for “a new birth for freedom” in which all men are created equal and the preservation of a democratic, representative government. Even though there might be different interpretations of this document, the Gettysburg Address will always be one of the most iconic speeches in American history.

Works Cited:

Elmore, A. E. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address : Echoes of the Bible and Book of Common Prayer. Southern Illinois University Press, 2009. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=317498&site=ehost-live&scope=site.