USA HISTORY

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR(1861 1865)

GETTYSBURG ADDRESS

[SOURCES]
“We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that this nation might live."This sentence says that the Union soldiers who are buried at Gettysburg

(A) ** died to make sure that the U.S. would not die

(B) should not have died in the battle

(C) will be buried with honors after the nation rests up from the war

EXPLANATIONS BELOW

Concept note-1: -“For those who here gave their lives that that nation might live.” This phrase refers to the soldiers that fought on this very field. Note that Lincoln picks up on the idea from the first two sentences, that is, they are fighting for the survival of the country – “so that that nation might live.”

Concept note-2: -Lincoln’s address starts with “Four score and seven years ago.” A score is equal to 20 years, so he was referencing 87 years ago-1776, when the Declaration of Independence was signed.

Concept note-3: -On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered a short speech at the close of ceremonies dedicating the battlefield cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Honoring a request to offer a few remarks, Lincoln memorialized the Union dead and highlighted the redemptive power of their sacrifice.

Concept note-4: -What is the main purpose of the Gettysburg Address? The main purpose of the Gettysburg Address at the time it was given was to commemorate a new National Cemetery at Gettysburg. It also gave Lincoln’s purpose for pushing on to win the Civil War-the abolition of slavery and the reunification of the Union.