The Gettysburg Address

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President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863 during the Soldiers' National Cemetery Dedication Ceremony held in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. President Lincoln's short oration was took a mere three minutes to deliver as it consisted of only 272 words. President Lincoln was able to convey his concern regarding the preservation of the democratic process. The unfinished war ahead in the pursuit of liberty within the Republic. President Lincoln's identified in his opening remarks the historical background of 1863. The town of Gettysburg was transformed by war. During a intense battle lasting three days over 85,000 Federal soldiers and 65,000Confederate soldiers battled within a twenty-five square mile area of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The number of wounded, missing and dead from this single battle was unprecedented at that time. This destruction for the North was estimated at greater than 3,100 reported dead and over 14,500 wounded. Confederate casualties were higher - reported as one-third of the soldiers wounded, missing or killed. These numbers overwhelmed the residents of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania population estimated at 2,400 residents as Gettysburg served as a makeshift hospital and morgue. President Lincoln's remarks stated the somber nature of the region's devastation that he witnessed on his tour of the battlefield. Thousands of onlookers were in attendance, family members who had traveled many miles to hear consoling words to make sense of the great tragedy that had befallen them as a result of war. A war fought in pursuit of liberty for all. Historians point out that Lincoln's speech is unique in displaying the following literary techniques: compression of style about the past; suppression of particulars, as Lincoln's speech did not mention slavery, the Union, the South, or the Emancipation Proclamation; and, and, the
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