Declaration of Independence vs. Gettysburg Address
Declaration of Independence vs. Gettysburg Address The Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address are glimpses into America’s history. They were written in two different time periods: America’s first years in 1776 and the Civil War in the 1800’s. Despite their time gap, they are similar because they both explain to the reader what is going on during their time period. However, the country was going through different events and so these two documents are diverse as well. Both The Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address were written during times of turmoil and change for the country. Both occurred during a time of war in which America was fighting for liberty and freedoms. During the Revolutionary War, the United States was trying to become “a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal”. It was battling for independence and the right to govern them in a way that would actually benefit the country and its people. So in 1776 when The Declaration of Independence was written, the country fought for freedom for themselves. During the Civil War, the country was divided in two, one half of the country fighting against the other half. They were independent as a country, but this time they were fighting for freedom for others—the African-American slaves. In a way though, America was fighting for equality both times. The first was equal treatment for the British citizens and American colonists. The second time, the country was fighting for equal treatment for all men, no matter what skin color. Both these eras were a time of testing for the United States. The Revolutionary War period determined whether the states would actually be able to achieve independence. The Civil War was a test to see if America would be able to keep that independence. President Abraham Lincoln spoke about this in his Gettysburg Address: “we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that