The Gettysburg Address is one of the most famous speeches in American history. The History Place states that on November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln visited a battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where three terrible days of battle called the Battle of Gettysburg took place. As he traveled to the battlefield to dedicate it as a national cemetery, he read his speech to the audience. After the main speaker, Edward Everett of Massachusetts, gave his speech which lasted about two hours, it was Lincoln's turn. Everyone was shocked that it only lasted a little over two minutes. The speech was about the men who fought in the Civil War to help create the nation people have today: it is only fair to honor them with a portion of the battlefield to lay them to rest. However, the condition of the earth is such that when every man is laid to rest, he should be the last to be touched. Everything is already supported and should not be changed or improved. Some people won't always remember this moment in history, but no one will forget what happened. In his speech, Lincoln used emotional, ethical, and logical appeals. This helped him make the people understand his two arguments and understand what he was saying. When reading the Gettysburg Address, people can take on two sides of the speech. One side is simply letting bygones be bygones. This means doing nothing more to support the battle. The other side is to support what happened on the ground and all the men who fought in the battle for the United States and to remember the importance of the battle. Lincoln made it clear that there were two sides to the debate. Should people just leave the past as it is today or support it? ...... middle of paper ......s is just a wonderful example of a two-sided argument. Abraham Lincoln had a good way of arguing for both sides with emotional, ethical, and logical appeals. It can be difficult for some people to choose, so they remain neutral. Has anyone chosen a side? Should the past remain the past, or should people support what happened and remember it by improving and reintroducing history? The choice is now to be made. Works Cited “Abraham Lincoln – The Gettysburg Address”. The place of history. Internet. February 22, 2010. “Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.” NetINS Showcase. Internet. February 23, 2010. Lunsford, Andrea A., John J. Ruszkiewicz and Keith Walters. Everything's an Argument: With readings. 4th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007. Print.