Gettysburg Address: Patriotism Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Sentence)

Quote #1

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. (1)

Now this is how you capture an audience. Lincoln simultaneously called back to the Founding Fathers (who were already somewhat larger-than-life figures) and listed the qualities that made the United States a cool place. This self-congratulatory move, subtly implying that the audience—by virtue of living in such a great nation—was great themselves, was definitely a good way to start a speech.

Quote #2

[...] 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. (10)

At the other end of the speech was an equally powerful appeal to listeners' patriotism. Highlighting the principles of freedom and democracy, Lincoln demonstrated exactly what the Union was fighting for…while implying the Confederacy was none of those things.