THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS

TEACHER RESOURCE GUIDE

WWW.PRESIDENTLINCOLN.ILLINOIS.GOV
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

INTRODUCTION
I n July 1863, Union and
Confederate forces met
in battle outside the small
the battlefield as a national
cemetery. The main speaker,
Edward Everett, spoke for
for unity and
equality as put
forth in the
market town of Gettysburg, two hours before Lincoln Declaration of
Pennsylvania. For three took the stage. His speech Independence;
days, under the hot summer lasted only a few minutes. In he painted the
sun, the bloodiest fight of the it, he reminded the audience war in global
war raged on. In the end, of the sacrifices made by and epic pro-
51,000 men died on the bat- America’s forefathers; he portions; and
tlefield. On November 19, honored the men who had he redirected
1863, President Lincoln was died on the battle field at the war’s pur-
invited to make a few re- Gettysburg; he challenged pose as a battle to end slav-
marks at the dedication of America to continue to fight ery.

LESSON 1: UNDERSTANDING THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS GRADE 5-8

Objectives Materials
• Name three important concepts Lincoln laid out in the Gettysburg Address. • Gettysburg Address broken down
into sentences (see Procedure)
• Apply word analysis and vocabulary skills to comprehend selections.
• Translation Evaluation Worksheet
• Define unfamiliar vocabulary using a dictionary or thesaurus.
(in this lesson plan)
• Apply reading strategies to improve understanding and fluency. • Understanding the Gettysburg Ad-
• Classify information from primary sources to form generalizations about the Civil War and democracy. dress Worksheet (in this lesson
plan)
• Hypothesize the primary theme of the Gettysburg Address.

PROCEDURE
1. Divide students into ten groups. Assign each group a sentence from the Gettysburg
Address.
• Four score 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 that nation might
live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
• But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow
this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it, far
above our poor power to add or detract.
Page 2

THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS

PROCEDURE (CONTINUED)
• 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 hon-
ored 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.
2. Working together and using their own words, each group will create a “translation” of what Lincoln
meant. Students will use dictionaries and/or a thesaurus to determine word meanings. Students will
provide the teacher with their finished translation.
3. Have each group read their translation to the class. The class will “grade” each group using the
Translation Evaluation Worksheet.
4. Create a “translation” of the entire Gettysburg Address to pass out to students.
5. After students have had time to review the “translation,” ask them to complete the Understanding the
Gettysburg Address Worksheet.
6. Ask students to hypothesize on the main theme of the Gettysburg Address. Discuss as a class.

LESSON 2: THE LANGUAGE OF THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS GRADE 8-12

Objectives Materials
• Identify at least three key themes of the Gettysburg Address. • Gettysburg Address (in this
lesson plan)
• Develop a persuasive speech that can be presented orally or in written format in 267 words or less.
• Identify the various literary devices including grammatical parallelism, antithesis, alliteration, and repetition and • Literary Tools Worksheet (in
use them appropriately in an oral or written speech. this lesson plan)
• Internet access
• Students will analyze the effectiveness of the literary devices employed in the Gettysburg Address.
• Paper, pencils, pens

INTRODUCTION
T he Gettysburg Address
has endured as one of
the most important docu-
was common entertainment
during the nineteenth century
and Edward Everett, keynote
ends regarding how Lincoln
devised his address, but most
modern scholars believe he
ments in U.S. history. What speaker at the dedication, was researched his subject and
makes this speech so mean- one of the most famous ora- wrote his thoughts, if not a
ingful and why have the words tors of the time. Abraham first draft, before he left
endured long after Abraham Lincoln, on the other hand, Washington. One misconcep-
Lincoln’s delivery? was invited only a few weeks tion was that Lincoln wrote
before the ceremony, to de- the address on the back of an
Attending and listen- liver “a few appropriate re- envelope as he was traveling
ing to lengthy public speeches marks.” There are many leg- to Gettysburg. But Lincoln Continued page 5
 NAME:________________________________________________

TRANSLATION EVALUATI ON WORKSHEET

Use the form below to evaluate each translation written by your classmates.
1. Read the translation as written on the board.
2. Copy the translation below.
3. Listen to the translation as it is read to you.
4. Record your evaluation below.

Translation:

Circle the appropriate answer:

1. The group wrote the sentence on the board and:

I understand what was written on the board. I do not understand what was written on the board

2. The group read the translation and:

It helped me understand it It did not help me understand it

Questions I would like to ask the group or the teacher:

My comments:
 NAME:___________________________________

UNDERSTANDING THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS WORKSHEET

Multiple Choice: Circle the letter of the best answer 8. But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not con-
to rewrite each group of words. secrate -- we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living
and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it, far above our
poor power to add or detract.
1. Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on
a. But in the bigger picture, we cannot make this place holy because
this continent a new nation,
the men who died here already did.
a. 27 years ago some people made a new country that brought us b. But in the bigger picture we cannot build here because people died
together
here and it would be disrespectful.
b. 87 years ago some people made a new country that brought us c. But in a larger sense, we should not honor people who fight in
together
wars.
c. 27 years ago our relatives made a new country that brought us
together 9. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say
here, but it can never forget what they did here.
2. conceived in liberty,
a. The world doesn’t care about this place but the men who fought
a. based on the idea of freedom here will always remember.
b. born in a free country b. People won’t remember this ceremony but they will remember
c. taken from a free country the men who fought and died here.

3. and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created 10. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfin-
equal. ished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly
a. and made sure the song was the same as all others advanced.
b. and believed that all people are the same
a. We need to dedicate this cemetery and make it look nice to honor
these men.
c. and written to make sure that everyone would get the same
b. We who are still alive need to promise to continue to fight for the
things.
ideas that these men died for.
4. Now we are engaged in a great civil war,
11. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task re-
a. Now we are fighting a war between the states maining before us -- that from these honored dead we take in-
b. Now we are planning a war creased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full
c. No we are politely debating measure of devotion
a. We have to promise to make this cemetery nice and remember
5. testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and these men.
so dedicated, can long endure. b. We need to promise that we will work on the great job ahead of
a. Testing if any country can survive forever us--to remember the dead we will increase our effort to save the ideas
that they died for.
b. Trying to see if we or any country who believes in that idea can
continue to exist 12. that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have
died in vain
6. We are met on a great battlefield of that war.
a. that we promise that the men who died here died for a good rea-
a. People are coming to meet us here. son
b. We are standing on an important battlefield of that war. b. that we find out if the dead died terrible deaths
c. People are coming to fight with us here. c. that we make sure other people don’t die here

7. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final 13. that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom
resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation a. that our country, under God’s blessing, shall have a new form of
might live.
government
a. We have come to say that part of this field is holy because it is a b. that our country, under God’s blessing, shall be reborn in freedom
final resting place for those who died here so that our country can
continue to exist. c. that we will become a really religious country
b. We have come here to create a place where soldiers can rest
because they fought so hard for our country. 14. and that government of the people, by the people, for the
people, shall not perish from the earth.
a. and that one government of lots of people should spread all over
the earth
b. and that a government of people cannot exist on this earth
c. and that the idea that all the people should be involved in making
their own rules and laws for themselves won’t be destroyed.
 Page 5

WWW.PRESIDENTLINCOLN.ILLINOIS.GOV

actually had had four and one did not use the words used only 267 words in ten mature speeches are especial-
half months to gather his "Ge tty sburg," " slave ry," sentences. Not strictly a po- ly characterized by grammati-
thoughts and put pen to paper " C o n f e de ra te , “ So u th ," em, he nevertheless used cal parallelism, antithesis,
after the battle. Lincoln did “Battle,” “Cemetery,” or poetic devices to increase the alliteration, and repetition,
not accept many public invita- "Union." Instead of bringing power of his words. So per- and he used all four strategies
tions to speak and he regard- up divisive issues and narrow- fect was Lincoln’s speech, that in his brief address at Gettys-
ed this as a unique opportuni- ly defining his speech, he the great orator Everett, re- burg. Although public reac-
ty to explain the revolutionary spoke in abstract terms. In- quested a copy of it from tion to the speech was divid-
transition he envisioned for stead of delivering an angry Lincoln saying, “I should be ed along partisan lines, even-
the country—the new birth of diatribe against the Confeder- glad if I could flatter myself tually the Address was recog-
freedom and equality under acy, as Everett had done, Lin- that I came as near to the nized for its greatness and
law. coln emphasized healing the central idea of the occasion in poetry. Today, the Gettys-
country and working toward two hours as you did in two burg Address is universally
Lincoln, careful writ- the ideals laid out in the Dec- recognized as one of the
minutes.”
er and serious thinker, used most moving expressions of
laration of Independence.
this opportunity to redirect Lincoln employed the democratic spirit ever
the nation’s attention toward Lincoln’s address many rhetorical devices in his
spoken.
the war’s long term goals. He lasted only a few minutes. He talent with words, but his

PROCEDURE
1. Using the Literary Tools ideas in the Gettysburg • The idea that in the U.S. • “Government of the
Worksheet have stu- Address to create a per- “All men are created people by the people and
dents identify the unify- suasive speech. The equal.” for the people shall not
ing structures of Lin- speech should be mod- perish from the earth.”
coln’s speech. eled on the c o n c i s e • Bravery and sacrifice will
presentation of ideas be remembered forever. 3. Have each student pre-
2. Discuss as a class, com- found in Lincoln’s speech sent their speech to the
paring the examples • “That this nation under class, or create a scrap
which are: God shall have a new
found. book of the speeches for
• The enduring quality of birth of freedom.” the classroom or to post
3. Working individually or
in pairs, use one of the our nation. online.

Literary Tools Worksheet Answer Key (you may find more)

Parallelism Antithesis Alliteration Repetition

Conceived in liberty, dedicated Living, dead Fourscore, founding, fathers, New nation, that nation, any
to the proposition forth nation
Little note, long remember
That nation, that war, that field New nation So conceived, so dedicated
What we say here, what they did
So conceived, so dedicated here Continent, conceived We are engaged, we are met,
we have come
Can not dedicate, can not con- Add, Detract World will
secrate, can not hallow We cannot dedicate, we cannot
Gave their lives, Nation might Note nor
consecrate, we cannot hallow
Little note, long remember live
We here highly Of the people, by the people for
What we say here, what they
Of the people, by the people, for the people
did here
the people, perish
To the unfinished work, to the
great task, to that cause
That these dead, that this nation
Of the people, by the people for
the people
 NAME:________________________________________________

LITERARY TOOLS WORKSHEET

Although Abraham Lincoln had less than one year of formal education, he possessed a logical and inquisitive mind ena-
bling him to write one of the most eloquent speeches in our nation’s history. A successful speech is one the audience
remembers, repeats and responds to. Lincoln employed many rhetorical devices in his talent with words, but his ma-
ture speeches are especially characterized by the following literary tools:
Grammatical parallelism Antithesis Alliteration Repetition
Lincoln used all four strategies in his brief address at Gettysburg. Today, the Gettysburg Address is universally recog-
nized as one of the most moving expressions of the democratic spirit ever spoken.

Parallelism
Parallelism is a rhetorical technique in which a writer emphasizes the equal value or weight of two or more ideas by expressing
them in the same grammatical form. Example, “that nation so conceived,” and “any nation so dedicated.”
List all the examples you can find:

Example: that nation any nation this nation

Antithesis
Antithesis is a rhetorical technique in which words, phrases, or ideas are strongly contrasted, often by means of a repetition of
grammatical structure. In literature, the use of antithesis as a figure of speech, results in two statements that show a contrast
through the balancing of two opposite ideas. Example, “the brave men,” and “our poor power.”
List all the examples you can find:

Example: Brave men our poor power

 WWW.PRESIDENTLINCOLN.ILLINOIS.GOV

Alliteration
The repetition of the same sounds or of the same kinds of sounds at the beginning of words or in stressed syllables. Alliteration is
fun to say and enjoyable to hear, and used to call attention to certain words. Alliteration is an important sound technique for mak-
ing particular words stand out. It also connects the words to be emphasized. Example, “Fondly do we hope—fervently do we
pray."
List all the examples you can find.

Example: Fondly do we hope fervently do we pray

Repetition
Repetition is a classic technique in presentation and speech making. It helps tie the theme together and it creates clarity for the
listener. Additionally, we remember words and phrases more readily when they are packaged in threes. Example, “We cannot ded-
icate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground."
List all the repetitive examples you can find:

Example: great civil war great battlefield

 Page 8

WWW.PRESIDENTLINCOLN.ILLINOIS.GOV

LESSON 3: A CIVIL C ONVERSATION GRADE 5-12

Objectives Materials
• Identify Lincoln as the author of the Gettysburg Address. • Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (in
this lesson plan)
• Identify the Gettysburg address as one of the most important speeches given in American history.
• Civil Conversation Worksheet (in
• Conduct a “Civil conversation” while discussing historical documents.
this lesson plan)
• Name at least two important points Lincoln made in the Gettysburg Address.

INTRODUCTION
O ur pluralistic democracy
is based on a set of com-
mon principles such as justice,
zation, not understanding. In
this activity, students will en-
gage in a “Civil Conversation”
ticipants are encouraged to
engage intellectually with chal-
lenging materials, gain insight
equality, and liberty—ideals set about the Gettysburg Ad- about their own point of view
forth in Lincoln’s Gettysburg dress, a document still debat- and strive for a shared under-
Address. Individuals often ed by scholars today. This standing of issues. In addition,
interpret these general princi- civil conversation activity of- students develop their speak-
ples quite differently given fers an alternative to the con- ing, listening and analytical
specific situations. Controver- tentious debate formats we skills. The Civil Conversation
sial legal and policy issues, as see today. In this structured was developed by the Consti-
they are discussed in the pub- discussion method, under the tutional Rights Foundation.
lic arena, often lead to polari- guidance of a facilitator, par- Visit them at www.crfc.org.

PROCEDURE
PART I: CON- meaningful. tiveness of the conversa- to suggest ways in which
DUCTING A CIVIL tions. the conversation could
4. Ask students to respond be improved. If appro-
CONVERSATION
in writing to questions 1- 9. Debrief the activity by priate, have students add
1. Distribute the Civil Conver-
5 on their worksheet. having the class reflect the suggestions to their
sation Worksheet to each
on the effectiveness of
student and go over the 5. Begin the conversation, list of conversation rules.
the conversation. Begin
rules of a Civil Conversa- by asking every member by asking students to
tion with your students. of the group to respond return to the worksheet
to questions 2 and 4. and answer questions 6 PART II: GROUP
2. The group will sit in a
Members should not just READING
circle. If the group is too and 7. Then ask:
large, pair the students so repeat what others say. 1. Begin reading the Get-
that there is an inner and • What did you learn from tysburg Address out
6. Then ask the entire
outer circle with students group to respond to the Civil Conversation? loud to the class.
able to move back and question 5 and jot down • What common ground 2. When you come to
forth into the inner circle the issues raised. did you find with other words or phrases the
if they have something to students have underlined
7. Continue the conversa- members of the group?
add. at the beginning of the
tion by discussing the 10. Then ask students who
3. Hand out copies of the lesson, ask them to join
questions raised. were not active in the you by reading those
Gettysburg Address to conversation to com-
each student. Ask stu- 8. The conversation will underlined words or
have a time limit of 15 to ment on the things they phrases out loud with
dents to read the address
45 minutes with an addi- learned or observed. you. All students who
and underline the words
or phrases that they feel tional five minutes to 11. Conclude the debriefing underlined those words
are most powerful or reflect upon the effec- by asking all participants should join in.
 NAME:________________________________________________

CIVIL CONVERSATION WORKSHEET

RULES FOR CIVIL CONVERSATIONS

CIVIL CONVERSATION READING GUIDE

b)

©
 Address delivered at the dedication of the cemetery at Gettysburg

sp

November
ABRAHAM LINCOLN

"Bliss Copy,· as it appears in Gary Wills, Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words that Remade America. (1992:
New York. Simon & Schuster). Appendix III. D. 2 .• "Final Text," p. 263.
 Page 11

WWW.PRESIDENTLINCOLN.ILLINOIS.GOV

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS/WRITING PROMPTS

1. Who wrote the Gettysburg Address and why?
2. What is the main message of the address?
3. How does Lincoln describe the United States?
4. Why does Lincoln refer to the founding fathers?
5. What does the speech say the soldiers are fighting for?
6. What does Lincoln believe the purpose of war to be?
7. What lesson does Lincoln say we can learn from this battle?
8. What is Lincoln referring to when he says, "of the people, by the people, for the people”?
9. What does Lincoln mean by a “new birth of freedom”? Whose freedom is he talking about?
10. Why is the speech considered one of the most important in American History?
11. Lincoln never mentions Gettysburg in his Address. Why do you think that is?
12. What does Lincoln say may “perish from this earth”? Why does he think this might happen? What will prevent it from happening?
13. Why do you think the speech is so well loved?
14. Are all people created equal? Explain your answer.
15. Do you feel that the proposition “that all men are created equal” has been advanced or not since Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Ad-
dress? If so, what impact did the Address have on these advances?
16. What did people of the time think of Lincoln’s speech?

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
1. Compose a song or create a dance about the speech.
2. Create a drawing or painting depicting the scene of the speech.
3. Create a sculpture of Lincoln making the speech.
4. Create a diorama of Lincoln at Gettysburg.
5. Pretend you were at the dedication. Write a letter to a friend, or a diary entry describing your
experience.
6. Write a letter to President Lincoln telling him how you felt about the speech. Write from the
point of view of a soldier, the parent of a fallen soldier, a northerner, a southerner or a child.
7. Memorize the speech and perform it for the class. Use props and costumes. Record or video-
tape yourself giving the speech for a younger audience.
8. Create a Power Point presentation about the speech.
9. Compare the Declaration of Independence to the Gettysburg Address.
10. Visit some of the websites provided in the resource section or read some of the books listed
there.
 Page 12

THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS

RESOURCES
Books for Students Online Resources
Sam Fink, The Gettysburg Address (2008) Library of Congress: The Gettysburg
Address www.loc.gov/exhibits/gadd/
Jean Fritz, Just a Few Words Mr. Lincoln
(1993) American Battlefield Trust: The Civil War
in Four Minutes: The Gettysburg Address
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/videos/g
Books for Teachers
ettysburg-address
Gabor Boritt, The Gettysburg Gospel (2006)

Gettysburg National Park

Garry Wills, Lincoln at Gettysburg (1992) www.nps.gov/gett

The Edward Everett copy of the Gettysburg Address is located in the collections of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

This Teacher Resource Guide was created by the ALPLM Education Division with input from Abraham
Lincoln-Horace Mann Fellows, Diane Lopez, Teresa Simoneaux, Judith Falls, and Russell Diesinger
and the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago.