Lincoln at Gettysburg
Book description
The power of words has rarely been given a more compelling demonstration than in the Gettysburg Address. Lincoln was asked to memorialize the gruesome battle. Instead, he gave the whole nation "a new birth of freedom" in the space of a mere 272 words. His entire life and previous training,…
Why read it?
2 authors picked Lincoln at Gettysburg as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
The 250-odd words of the Gettysburg Address are some of the most stirring ever spoken.
Garry Wills’s classic study of how Lincoln came to make that speech is a wonderfully rich investigation of their historical context and literary influences, right back to Pericles’s funeral oration. Wills argues that Lincoln’s speech changed America, and changed the way speeches themselves would come to be made.
It shows how so much can go into so apparently little – and what a difference that can make.
From Sam's list on rhetoric and the art of persuasion.
Wills’ book is about a speech only 272 words long…but it turns out to be about way more than that.
The Gettysburg Address changed America’s foundational principle for all time, from the Constitution’s bland, vague goal of forming “a more perfect Union” to the Declaration of Independence’s bold statement that “all men are created equal.”
How Lincoln pulled it off, and just as importantly, why he did and what it meant, is a great story, one that Wills tells with zeal and purpose.
You’ll never think about “The Gettysburg Address” the same way after reading this book.
From Jeff's list on the Civil War without all the battlefield stuff.
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