The Gettysburg Address : perspectives on Lincoln's greatest speech

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Title:

The Gettysburg Address : perspectives on Lincoln's greatest speech

ISBN:

9780190227456

9780190227449

Physical Description:

xvi, 350 pages ; 24 cm

Contents:

Part I. Influences -- Classical democracy and the Gettysburg Address / Nicholas P. Cole -- "We here highly resolve": the end of compromise and the return to revolutionary time / Robert Pierce Forbes -- Democracy at Gettysburg / Sean Wilentz -- Daniel Webster, Abraham Lincoln, and the Gettysburg Address / Craig L. Symonds -- "Of all, by all, for all": Theodore Parker, transcendentalism, and the Gettysburg Address / Dean Grodzins -- Death and the Gettysburg Address / Mark S. Schantz -- Shared suffering and the way to Gettysburg / Chandra Manning -- Little note, long remember: Lincoln and the murk of myth at Gettysburg / Allen C. Guelzo -- Part II. Impacts -- "A new birth of freedom": emancipation and the Gettysburg Address / Louis P. Masur -- "The great task remaining before us": Lincoln and Reconstruction / George Rutherglen -- Immigration and the Gettysburg Address: nationalism and equality at the gates / Alison Clark Efford -- Engendering the Gettysburg Address: its meaning for women / Jean H. Baker -- The Gettysburg Address and civil rights / Raymond Arsenault -- Widely noted and long remembered: the Gettysburg Address around the world / Don H. Doyle -- The search for meaning in Lincoln's great oration / Thomas A. Desjardin.

Personal Subject:

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865. Gettysburg address.

Added Author:

Conant, Sean.

Summary:

It remains without question the most memorable and memorized speech in American history. In 272 words, spoken on November 19, 1863, among the freshly dug graves of the Union dead at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Abraham Lincoln evoked and distilled the profound significance of the terrible war in which the nation was engaged. This volume aims to place Lincoln's words in their full context. Edited by the country's leading scholars, including Sean Wilentz, Craig L. Symonds, and Harold Holzer, it approaches the Address from a number of fresh perspectives. Taken together, they show why in the century and a half since it was delivered, the Gettysburg Address has proven a seemingly inexhaustible source of somber reflection and soaring hope, its language echoed by those seeking meaning for their own struggles and sacrifices.

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Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake)	973.7349 GET	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Park Grove Library (Cottage Grove)	973.7349 GET	Searching... Unknown
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury)	973.7349 GET	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

It is the most famous speech Lincoln ever gave, and one of the most important orations in the history of the nation. Delivered on November 19, 1863, among the freshly dug graves of the Union dead, the Gettysburg Address defined the central meaning of the Civil War and gave cause for the nation's incredible suffering. The poetic language and moral sentiment inspired listeners at the time, and have continued to resonate powerfully with groups and individuals up to the present day. What gives this speech its enduring significance? This collection of essays, from some of the best-known scholars in the field, answers that question. Placing the Address in complete historical and cultural context and approaching it from a number of fresh perspectives, the volume first identifies how Lincoln was influenced by great thinkers on his own path toward literary and oratory genius. Among others, Nicholas P. Cole draws parallels between the Address and classical texts of Antiquity and John Stauffer considers Lincoln's knowledge of the King James Bible and Shakespeare. The second half of the collection then examines the many ways in which the Gettysburg Address has been interpreted, perceived, and utilized in the past 150 years. Since 1863, African Americans, immigrants, women, gay rights activists, and international figures have invoked the speech's language and righteous sentiments on their respective paths toward freedom and equality. Essays include Louis P. Masur on the role the Address played in eventual emancipation; Jean H. Baker on the speech's importance to the women's rights movement; and Don H. Doyle on the Address's international legacy.Lincoln spoke at Gettysburg in a defining moment for America, but as the essays in this collection attest, his message is universal and timeless. This work brings together the foremost experts in the field to illuminate the many ways in which that message continues to endure.

Author Notes

Sean Conant is an American filmmaker and the writer, director, and producer of the 2015 documentary film The Gettysburg Address.

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

To coincide with his eponymous documentary film set for release this year, Conant has amassed an impressive roster of talent to analyze the Gettysburg Address through a number of different lenses. He divides this anthology into two sections: the first eight essays examine what influenced Lincoln's words, including his 1852 eulogy for Henry Clay, while the last seven look at how the address played a part in issues including immigration, women's rights, the Civil Rights movement, and even the founding of the People's Republic of China. There are intriguing discussions as to whether Lincoln's remarks presaged a second American revolution or just represented a return to the values and ideals of the Founding Fathers, as well as the effect the address had on America's traditions for memorializing the dead. Readers who have not read the text in a while should start with the Appendix, which provides transcriptions of the five existing copies of the Address; they will find some surprises, including its avoidance of the topics of slavery and saving the Union. Conant shows that, for such a brief set of remarks (it's only 272 words long), the Gettysburg Address deserves its outsized reputation. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

When Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, he reminded the nation of the importance of its pursuit of freedom. This book of 14 essays by scholars examines the historical influences exerted on Lincoln's speech and the impact the speech has had on the U.S. and abroad. Scholars trace influences from Greek classics to transcendentalism to Daniel Webster upon Lincoln's exploration of the Civil War in context with the Revolutionary War and its search for real meaning about freedom and independence. Scholars also analyze the impact of the iconic speech, its inspiration for freedom movements, from civil rights and women's rights in the U.S. to liberation struggles around the world, noting the irony surrounding a speech that Lincoln thought listeners would little note nor long remember but that continues to resound through the ages. The book includes the five drafts of the address that preceded the final version. This isn't recreational reading exactly, but it will be of great interest to Lincoln buffs and students researching the famous speech.--Bush, Vanessa Copyright 2010 Booklist

Choice Review

Among the multitude of books that have emerged since the sesquicentennial of the Gettysburg Address, this collection edited by Conant emerges as one of the best. Featuring articles by some of the most prominent contemporary Civil War, legal, and social historians, The Gettysburg Address offers two approaches to Lincoln's speech: the influences that shaped Lincoln's words and the subsequent impact of what the president said in his speech. Two submissions stand out. In the offerings on Lincoln's influences, Mark Schantz's "Death and the Gettysburg Address" provides interesting details on how the actual concept, design, and execution of this first national cemetery reflected attitudes of wartime death in the Civil War. In the selections on the speech's impact, Don Doyle's "Widely Noted and Long Remembered: The Gettysburg Address around the World" offers an extensive account of how Lincoln's words motivated a wide range of subsequent social movements, ranging from anti-imperialist revolutionaries in Latin America to suffragists in Europe. Each essay in this excellent volume provides a useful insight on one of the country's greatest orations. Summing Up: Essential. General collections; upper-division undergraduates and above. --Steven J. Ramold, Eastern Michigan University

Sean ConantHarold HolzerNicholas P. ColeRobert Pierce ForbesSean WilentzDean GrodzinsMark S. SchantzChandra ManningAllen C. GuelzoLouis P. MasurGeorge RutherglenAlison Clark EffordJean H. BakerRaymond ArsenaultDon H. DoyleThomas A. Desjardin

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Foreword	p. ix
Part I Influences
1 Classical Democracy and the Gettysburg Address	p. 3
2 "We Here Highly Resolve": The End of Compromise and the Return to Revolutionary Time	p. 24
3 Democracy at Gettysburg	p. 51
4 Daniel Webster, Abraham Lincoln, and the Gettysburg AddressCraig L. Symonds
5 "Of all, by all, for all": Theodore Parker, Transcendentalism, and the Gettysburg Address	p. 88
6 Death and the Gettysburg Address	p. 107
7 Shared Suffering and the Way to Gettysburg	p. 126
8 Little Note, Long Remember: Lincoln and the Murk of Myth at Gettysburg	p. 147
Part II Impacts
9 "A New Birth of Freedom": Emancipation and the Gettysburg Address	p. 175
10 "The Great Task Remaining Before Us": Lincoln and Reconstruction	p. 191
11 Immigration and the Gettysburg Address: Nationalism and Equality at the Gates	p. 211
12 Engendering the Gettysburg Address: Its Meaning for Women	p. 233
13 The Gettysburg Address and Civil Rights	p. 252
14 Widely Noted and Long Remembered: The Gettysburg Address Around the World	p. 274
15 The Search for Meaning in Lincoln's Great Oration	p. 300
Appendix: The Five Copies of the Gettysburg Address	p. 321
Contributors	p. 333
Index	p. 339

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Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Booklist Review

Choice Review

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