All Men are Created Equal
On the 19th of November, 1863, the stormy clouds loomed above the cemetery. There was a thick mist, and a biting cold, a sad reminder of the countless men who lost their lives in a fight for restoration and equality.
The thousands of graves stretched for miles, and Abraham Lincoln sat with thousands of other Americans, all remembering the braveness and determination of these soldiers. They listened as a man spoke for two hours hours about the events of the Battle of Gettysburg. Families wept for their loved ones who had sacrificed themselves in the war. Many wondered if it would ever end.
And when the speaker was finished, the President stood for a mere two minutes, because two minutes is all he needed to convey his message. "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation..." he began.
And although his speech was very brief and was given hardly any attention at the time, or whether Abraham Lincoln thought his speech would be effective or not, these were the words that reshaped America and would be remembered for generations to come as one of the greatest speeches of all time.
But Lincoln didn't know any of this, nor did he care. "...and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth," he finished, sitting down calmly. To him, the speech was not about reshaping America; he didn't even think anyone would remember his words. To him, it was simply a reminder of what the Union fought for: the ideals of the founders, and the proposition that all men are created equal.
The thousands of graves stretched for miles, and Abraham Lincoln sat with thousands of other Americans, all remembering the braveness and determination of these soldiers. They listened as a man spoke for two hours hours about the events of the Battle of Gettysburg. Families wept for their loved ones who had sacrificed themselves in the war. Many wondered if it would ever end.
And when the speaker was finished, the President stood for a mere two minutes, because two minutes is all he needed to convey his message. "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation..." he began.
And although his speech was very brief and was given hardly any attention at the time, or whether Abraham Lincoln thought his speech would be effective or not, these were the words that reshaped America and would be remembered for generations to come as one of the greatest speeches of all time.
But Lincoln didn't know any of this, nor did he care. "...and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth," he finished, sitting down calmly. To him, the speech was not about reshaping America; he didn't even think anyone would remember his words. To him, it was simply a reminder of what the Union fought for: the ideals of the founders, and the proposition that all men are created equal.