Lincoln's Gettsyburg Address is one of the most celebrated pieces of American rhetoric. In this speech, Lincoln called for unity between states in the midst of a violent civil conflict. To do so, he avoided speaking directly about the sectional tensions that had caused the war and the bloody battle that had occurred on the ground that he stood on. Instead, he focused on the abstract American ideals of liberty and brotherhood. He declared that the Civil War was a test on the American experiment. It would determine whether a democratic nation like the United States could survive. In doing so, he redefined the Civil War, making it into a continuation of the Revolutionary War, and urged his constituents to push forward. He honored those that had given their lives in the Battle of Gettysburg and encouraged the American people to not let them die in vain. This speech inspired the North to continue to their fight for democracy and set an example for future American prose.
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