President Lincoln’s message had several parts. The first part of his message was the United States of America was founded on the idea that “all men are created equal”. President Lincoln developed this idea from the very document that freed the colonies from Britain’s grasp, the Declaration of Independence. Eighty- seven years before this speech was given, a nation was born. That nation, the United States, was created with a freedom concept as its foundation; no man was higher than another. This right was “unalienable”, because it applied to everyone.
Although this idea of freedom was present in the beginning, by 1863, some people, mainly the African American slaves, were being denied of this God given right. In a sense, Lincoln was asking his fellow Americans “Is this idea of freedom worth fighting for?” It is clear that in President Lincoln’s eyes the answer was yes. I firmly believe this is a cause worth fighting for too, because this is what our country professes to stand for. How can we stand for the idea “all men are created equal” if in our own country we are not showing that very same concept?
The second part of President Lincoln’s message was there is “unfinished work” concerning the freedom of all people in America. He said that the people had a “great task” at hand, and they must “dedicate themselves” to the ideas of freedom and equality. They should require themselves to have an “increased devotion” to allowing these rights to live on and reach all parts of the world. When Abraham Lincoln gave this speech he was standing on the Gettysburg battlefield where they were dedicating land to the men who had struggled there. The Civil War had no end in sight at this time. He told the Americans these words so that they could have a hope that one day men and women in America would be free, and they would know that there was an end to the long, ongoing struggle they were facing.
The third and final part of President Lincoln’s glorious message was the nation of the United States should have a “new birth of freedom” so that our type of government, a democracy, “shall not perish from the earth”. Lincoln didn’t want our government to perish because he believed it was the right kind of government. It was and is allowing people to be involved and have a voice.
Although Lincoln called his speech a “flat failure” immediately after he got done presenting it, these ideals are still relevant in society today. We are still governed by the same basic principles of the original documents that our precious nation was founded on. We are still the United States of America. We still stand for the same message President Lincoln communicated 135 years ago.
We are not governed by a dictator, a king, or a party. Our government is “of the people, by the people and for the people”. For example, every citizen in America has a right to vote, but this is not true in all countries throughout the world. Some countries are governed by one man. That man has all the power, whether the people like it or not.
In many cases, countries that are not democracies have laws that would be unconstitutional in America. We should make it a priority to try to reach out to each of these countries. We should attempt to give them a democracy like us. Of course, we do try to encourage countries to become democratic through diplomatic interactions performed by the ambassadors of America.
President Lincoln communicated a powerful message to the United States in 1863. This message that Lincoln provoked so many years ago still lives on today.
1 comment:
Awesome paper Amber!!
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