The Gettysburg Address: A Prodigy
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The Gettysburg Address: A Prodigy On the afternoon of November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln moped back to his seat after he disclosed the Gettysburg Address thinking that it was a complete failure; little did he know that his 272 words would soon change the course of U.S. history. Lincoln knew the Gettysburg Address was his way to circulate hope back into the American people during one of their darkest hours. So much laid in his hands, but what he didn’t realize was how much his speech would impact the course of history. Lincoln meticulously chose elements of speech for the Gettysburg Address that would redefine the foundation of the U.S. government and impact the people 's view on "equality" and "democracy" at the time and during the 20th century. The battle of Gettysburg was one of the most devastating clashes in the Civil War, but it quickly became a turning point for the Union army. In July of 1863, 35 miles from Pennsylvania 's capitol, the confederate army under General Lee attacked the Union forces at Gettysburg for three days straight (History.com Staff). Out of the many battles in the war, the battle at Gettysburg was most brutal. Out of 170,000 soldiers on both sides, 51,000 were either killed, wounded, or missing (History.com Staff). After the battle of Gettysburg, thousands of fallen soldiers were haphazardly buried in poorly made graves. This sparked David Wills, a local attorney, to dedicate a national memorial (History.com Staff). When the time came to