146 Years Ago Today...

Steel God · (This post was last modified: 11-20-2009, 06:59 AM by Steel God.)

Abraham Lincoln gave this brief speech:

Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. 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. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate…we cannot consecrate…we cannot hallow…this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us…that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

I often wonder how much better were the politics of that era, when the men who gave the speeches actually wrote them for themselves, and spoke earnestly of what their vision was, instead of merely being suits, guided, primped, packaged, and managed. For certain the politics were just as hard knuckled, perhaps more so since no misplaced sense of political correctness existed. But I bet that the debates were much more interesting when politicians spoke from their hearts and minds, and not from prepared talking points tailored for a particular audience. For damn sure they wrote better, and spoke more eloquently than we do today.

In any event, Abe's words were/are powerful stuff, and still send chills down my spine, and I'm not even a fan of the man as President. :P

Jobu88 · 11-20-2009, 08:17 AM,

By amazing coincidence, I am plowing through Shelby Foote's 3-volume series on the Civil War and just got to the Gettysburg Address two days ago.

The speaker before Lincoln -- Edward Everett of Massachusetts-- went on for 2 hours solid. Lincoln, contrary to what I had always thought, was not really the keynote speaker at Gettysburgh at all. Foote describes how Lincoln gave his whole speech before the cameraman could even get set up for a photo.

Jim von Krieg · 11-20-2009, 10:53 AM,

Paul,

I've been thinking about historic speakers... partly due to the WW2 in HD, I've been contemplating how inspirational speaker Winston Churchill was... I've always been particular to President Lincoln's speech...

I think part of the issue is the gravity of the situation... where great peril exists, great inspiration is required...

Just my thoughts on it...

Steel God · (This post was last modified: 11-20-2009, 09:36 PM by Steel God.)

Chris;

I read Foote's 3 Volume set earlier in the year (great motivational material for playing Forge of Freedom) ;) Foote is simply a great read.

Jim;

Coincidentally I also read D'Este's book on Churchill called Warlord not too long ago. That book left me with a much higher appreciation for Churchill.

Paul