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Gettysburg Address - Why is it iconic?


Skydie
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The significance of the Gettysburg Address is not how amazing of a speech it is, but what it signified.

 

Previously, the Civil War's priority was the Union attempting to put down the "rebellious" Confederacy; in other words, a established government attempting to put down an attempt at secession and bring the seceding states back into the fold.

 

The Gettysburg Address however, drastically changed the outlook on the motives of the Civil War. Initially, the war was a political one; with the Gettysburg Address however, slavery became a primary rather than a secondary issue being addressed in the war, turning the motives into ones that involve morality (is slavery correct or not) and patriotism (was the United States not founded on the notion that "all men are created equal"?).

 

This in itself most likely had a significant affect on the common man of the time; politics was something that primarily involved "the elites", and did not involve the common man, so consequently one would not give much thought to a political war. Morality and Patriotism however, is something that even the average citizen can relate to. Thus, with the nation's view (meaning the average citizen) on the Civil War taking a drastic change, their involvement and various stances also take a dramatic turn.

 

That, is why the Gettysburg Address is famous. Not necessarily because of its words (in fact, Lincoln was considered to be pretty bad at speeches if I remember correctly), but because of the impact it had.

 

EDIT:

As for why it might be important to me personally....well, it might not be an exaggeration that without this Address, I might be living in The Confederacy of America right now. So yeah, it is kind of important to me.

 

I also had to memorize this for Advanced Placement English, and learned about it extensively in Advanced Placement US History.

Edited by taznkid
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And the world would probably be ruled by dictators because the United States of the 1900s was not around for the World Wars.

 

Yup, such a great plus.

 

You have no knowledge and idea about war.

 

Most wars in the earth are about taking control (east vs west).

 

For You to understand better i will make a comparision.

What America did in ww2 for europe is the so called "african syndrom"

 

everybody did shap and died, or almost died in teamfight, and freefarming african then comes and finishes everything, great carry, great hero. savior.

 

Hilarious

 

There could be a lot stuff to say, but it would took too long and mostly require adult conversation, which mostly in those forums is like kindergarden, no offense.

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I'd say WW1 was the more "inconsequential" war with regard to American involvement, as our troops were inexperienced and we didn't have nearly the same level of commitment as the rest of the Triple Entente (until the Triple Alliance started flobing with our economy by destroying trade ships).

 

There's an old saying about WW2 though: it was won with American money, British intelligence and, above all, Russian blood.

Edited by martY
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You have no knowledge and idea about war.

 

Most wars in the earth are about taking control (east vs west).

 

For You to understand better i will make a comparision.

What America did in ww2 for europe is the so called "african syndrom"

 

everybody did shap and died, or almost died in teamfight, and freefarming african then comes and finishes everything, great carry, great hero. savior.

 

Hilarious

 

There could be a lot stuff to say, but it would took too long and mostly require adult conversation, which mostly in those forums is like kindergarden, no offense.

Well fine since you just like to shap on everything I post since the day I joined this forums, just for you I'll do some other examples.

 

For you:

 

If the Civil War had ended with Confederate Victory, some of the following events in history may not have happened:

 

1. The well known Theory of Relativity, which is pretty much the basis of modern day Physics

2. Development of the Internet

3. The Space Race

4. Airplanes

5. Transistors

6. Defibrillators

7. Video Games

8. Cable Television

 

If the Gettysburg Address had not been delivered...well, a bunch of racial issues including segregation and apartheid might possibly still be in effect today. Western influence on Asia may have come about in a dramatically different (and overall worse) manner, and I personally would either:

 

A. Not even be here in the first place, not having been born or either just growing up in Korea

B. Experiencing a heck of alot racial discrimination, some of which I experience right now anyway even WITH all the whole racial equality shtick that has occurred in history

 

You happy?

 

I'm not trying to be some sort of "Amurica" patriot; far from it, in fact I think that sort of patriotism is completely stupid since most of the people that support it have no idea what they are talking about.

 

All I'm saying is, the difference of a single event in history, let alone a change involving an entire nation, carries much significance. Now before my head hurts from talk about various theories about Time, I'm going to stop caring about this thread....

Edited by taznkid
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Well fine since you just like to shap on everything I post since the day I joined this forums, just for you I'll do some other examples.

 

For you:

 

If the Civil War had ended with Confederate Victory, some of the following events in history may not have happened:

 

1. The well known Theory of Relativity, which is pretty much the basis of modern day Physics

2. Development of the Internet

3. The Space Race

4. Airplanes

5. Transistors

6. Defibrillators

7. Video Games

8. Cable Television

 

If the Gettysburg Address had not been delivered...well, a bunch of racial issues including segregation and apartheid might possibly still be in effect today. Western influence on Asia may have come about in a dramatically different (and overall worse) manner, and I personally would either:

 

A. Not even be here in the first place, not having been born or either just growing up in Korea

B. Experiencing a heck of alot racial discrimination, some of which I experience right now anyway even WITH all the whole racial equality shtick that has occurred in history

 

You happy?

 

I'm not trying to be some sort of "Amurica" patriot; far from it, in fact I think that sort of patriotism is completely stupid since most of the people that support it have no idea what they are talking about.

 

All I'm saying is, the difference of a single event in history, let alone a change involving an entire nation, carries much significance. Now before my head hurts from talk about various theories about Time, I'm going to stop caring about this thread....

I like fudge
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I honestly dont really understand the rivalry between USA and EU. Or why people on the internet need to fight for one side or another. Its one planet. Every day the world grows a little smaller. The economics / politics / culture are so intertwined that what happens in one place effects the rest.

 

But I do want to say, if the south won the Civil War there is a good chance Hitler might of ended up with the bomb. Imagine that scenario for a second.

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You have no knowledge and idea about war.

Most wars in the earth are about taking control (east vs west).

 

The beginnings of the Cold war are particular interesting, I studied this over 5 years ago. In particular was the withholding information regarding the Atomic bomb from 'allies'. I just found out it funny how 'allies' (both sides) could be plotting how to dominate the other while one of the largest wars in history was underway. It was like a warped version of 'Much ado about nothing' in a war context.

 

Also I'd like to add much of what we learned 'glossed' over certain facts. For example the British where the first to bomb Germany's citizens, not the other way around. The USSR had a huge sway in WW2, but they also committed some extreme atrocities - mass rape. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-32529679

 

This phenomenon was practiced by Nazis/Ruskys/Muricans, but only Nazis are vilified for it.

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The beginnings of the Cold war are particular interesting, I studied this over 5 years ago. In particular was the withholding information regarding the Atomic bomb from 'allies'. I just found out it funny how 'allies' (both sides) could be plotting how to dominate the other while one of the largest wars in history was underway. It was like a warped version of 'Much ado about nothing' in a war context.

 

Also I'd like to add much of what we learned 'glossed' over certain facts. For example the British where the first to bomb Germany's citizens, not the other way around. The USSR had a huge sway in WW2, but they also committed some extreme atrocities - mass rape. http://www.bbc.co.uk...gazine-32529679

 

This phenomenon was practiced by Nazis/Ruskys/Muricans, but only Nazis are vilified for it.

All I know is that I prefer Roosevelt over Hitler for sure.

 

Also, wasn't the Manhattan Project a combined work taken from like France and Austria or something of the sort?

Edited by taznkid
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The beginnings of the Cold war are particular interesting, I studied this over 5 years ago. In particular was the withholding information regarding the Atomic bomb from 'allies'. I just found out it funny how 'allies' (both sides) could be plotting how to dominate the other while one of the largest wars in history was underway. It was like a warped version of 'Much ado about nothing' in a war context.

 

A lot of that was because we funded the White Army during the revolution in Russia. We looked like asses when they lost and it severely damaged the trust between both nations. Also, don't forget about the non-aggression pact Stalin signed with Hitler early on.

 

There was always tension between Russia and her allies, so it was impossible for WW2 to end without being forced to consider what their plans were for the rest of Europe.

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