Gettysburg Address and Pericles

The Gettysburg Address was given by Abraham Lincoln after the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War in the United States. The Battle of Gettysburg was in July of 1863. What happened was General Robert E. Lee's Army Of Northern Virginia of 75,000 men and the 97,000 man Union Army Of The Potomac under General George G. Meade met and fought for 3 days. (American Civil War Battles, Gettysburg Battle). Pericles Funeral Orientation was given by Pericles and it was in honor of the soldiers that had died in any war. Both Lincoln and Thucydides wrote similar pieces about sacrifice and freedom. Both leaders in their speeches wanted to express pride and explain the value of democracy in times of war and struggle.

Thucydides wrote that sacrifice was needed to help save city of Athens. Thucydides wrote "Such is the Athens for which these men, in the assertion of their resolve not to lose her, nobly fought and died; and well may every one of their survivors be ready to suffer in her cause" (Pericles). Thucidides wrote about the great power of Athens. He wrote "we have forced every sea and land to be the highway of our daring, and everywhere, whether for evil or for good, have left imperishable monuments behind us" (Pericles).

Lincoln wrote about the need for sacrifice to save the nation. He said, "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" (Lincoln). Lincoln’s main focus in writing his oration, was to state that all men should be treated equally.

"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" (Lincoln).  Lincoln wrote about equality in the United States.  At the time of the Civil war, the US was divided into the north and the south.  Lincoln is explaining that equality among people is very important for accomplish a nation.  On the contrary, Pericles says that, “we have forced every sea and land to be the highway of our daring, and everywhere, whether for evil or for good, have left imperishable monuments behind us” (Pericles). Pericles is saying that good and evil mean nothing.  

Ancient History Sourcebook:Pericles' Funeral Oration. Thucydides. Web. 29 Mar. 2010.             <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/pericles-funeralspeech.html>.

The Gettysburg Address. Abraham Lincoln. Web. 29 Mar. 2010.             <http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/P/al16/speeches/gettys.htm>.