USA HISTORY

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR(1861 1865)

THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION

[SOURCES]
Why did people gather in Gettysburg on Nov. 19, 1863?

(A) To abolish slavery

(B) ** To dedicate a national cemetery

(C) To encourage the Confederacy to rejoin the Union

(D) To hear campaign speeches for the upcoming Presidential election

EXPLANATIONS BELOW

Concept note-1: -Dedication of the Soldiers National Cemetery, November 19, 1863. As the Confederate army retreated to Virginia, area residents and Pennsylvania officials considered how to deal with the carnage left behind. The Confederate dead were buried where they fell or nearby in shallow, mass graves.

Concept note-2: -Join History Fans in Commemoration. In November 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous speech to honor the men who had fought and died in the Battle of Gettysburg to preserve the Union. His Gettysburg Address was given on Cemetery Hill in the National Soldier Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Concept note-3: -The dedication of the cemetery was an important opportunity for the President to honor all those who had given their lives during the Battle of Gettysburg.

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.

Concept note-5: -At the cemetery’s dedication on November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln rose to deliver “a few appropriate remarks, ” now known as the Gettysburg Address. His two-minute speech served as a reminder of the sacrifices of war and the necessity of holding the Union together.