Who Was Abraham Lincoln 林肯 Chapter 8 A Two-Minute Speech

Finally, Lincoln found a brilliant general to lead his army: Ulysses S. Grant. Grant was willing to fight. He had already won important victories, such as the Battle of Vicksburg, which gave the Union control of the Mississippi River. But Grant realized that just winning battles was not enough to win the war. The important thing was to take away the South’s ability to keep on fighting. To do this, the Union army had to attack in many places at once.
They had to fight battles one right after another. And they needed to destroy railroads and factories that helped keep the Confederate army going. Grant planned to wear out the South so it would have to surrender. But it would take time. And it would cause many thousands more deaths.
Lincoln relied on Grant more and more. After one terribly bloody¹ battle, many people thought Grant should be fired. But “I can’t spare this man,” Lincoln said. “He fights.”
In the North, fewer men were willing to volunteer as soldiers. So in 1863, Lincoln called for a draft. For the first time in American history, men were forced to enlist² in the army. In New York, there were draft riots. Men said they didn’t see why they should die to free black people. Many Northerners were so fed up with the war, they were even willing to just let the rebel states go.
GETTYSBURG NATIONAL CEMETERY³
More and more, people blamed Lincoln. He needed to explain why the war had to be fought to the bitter end. But back then the president didn’t often address the nation directly. Lincoln’s chance came at the dedication⁴ of the cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Battle of Gettysburg had been a great victory for the Union. Union soldiers had stopped the rebels from pushing their way north. But more than three thousand Union soldiers and almost five thousand Confederate soldiers had been killed, and a special cemetery was created to bury them all.
The dedication of the cemetery took place on November 19, 1863. Even though Lincoln was the president, he was not the main speaker. That was Edward Everett, a man famous for long, fancy speeches. Everett talked for almost two hours. Lincoln spoke⁵ for only two minutes. His words were simple and direct. He began by quoting a line from the Declaration of Independence: “All men are created equal.” He reminded his audience that the United States was the first country founded on that idea of equality. In 1776, no one had known if such a country could work. Now people were wondering if it could last. Maybe it was about to fall apart. Lincoln could not give in to the rebels’ demands, because the country had to survive.
The Union was fighting to keep the United States united, but also to guarantee that “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
According to some listeners, the end of Lincoln’s speech was greeted with silence. People were too moved even to clap. Edward Everett wrote that Lincoln, in two minutes, had gotten to the heart of the subject better than his own entire long speech. History agrees with Everett. The Gettysburg Address is widely considered one of the most beautiful and important speeches ever written.
But the war had gone on for almost a thousand days, and there was still no end in sight.
THANKSGIVING
EVER SINCE THE PILGRIMS, AMERICANS HAVE CELEBRATED⁶ DAYS OF THANKSGIVING. BUT UNTIL 1863 THERE WAS NO ONE DAY OF THE YEAR THAT PEOPLE THOUGHT OF AS THANKSGIVING DAY. SARAH JOSEPHA HALE (WHO WROTE THE NURSERY RHYME “MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB”) THOUGHT THERE SHOULd BE. STARTING In 1827, SHE WROTE TO EVERY PRESIDENT, URGING HIM TO ESTABLISH ONE. BUT NO ONE LISTENEd UNTIL ABRAHAM LINCOLN. AFTER THE VICTORY AT GETTYSBURG, HE ISSUED A PROCLAMATION SETTING ASIDE THE LAST THURSDAY OF NOVEMBER AS A DAY TO GIVE THANKS FOR THE SURVIVAL OF THE NATION.

1 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

2 enlist   

vt.谋取(支持等)，赢得；征募；vi.入伍

参考例句：

• They come here to enlist men for the army.他们来这儿是为了召兵。
• The conference will make further efforts to enlist the support of the international community for their just struggle. 会议必将进一步动员国际社会，支持他们的正义斗争。

3 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

4 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。