Nov 19, 2009
The Anniversary of the Gettysburg Address and our Census
On November 19, 1863, at the dedication of a military cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, during the American Civil War President Abraham Lincoln delivers one of the most memorable speeches in American history. In just 272 words, Lincoln brilliantly and movingly reminded a war-weary public why the Union had to fight, and win, the Civil War.
In the video of Lincoln's speech, is impersonator James Getty in probably the best version of Lincoln's speech that I have heard. When it comes to accent and the sound of his voice, this is what many believe Abraham Lincoln sounded like.
More importantly this is a speech about a war that redefined America. Abraham Lincoln's view of our Nation's purpose expounded in his speeches has been adopted by a clear majority of Americans.
Today, let us recommit ourselves to the perpetuation of a democracy in Lincoln's words "for the people, of the people, by the people".
In real specifics, at this moment in time, this means for me that we have a full and accurate census count so that we can- "Count Every Texan so that Every Texan Counts". Only then will we have adequate representation for communities like our own. Strengthen our democracy by encouraging your friends and neighbors to participate in our national census.
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1 comments:
I memorized the Gettysburg Address when I was a kid growing up in the public schools of Tennessee and assumed the things it said were true. That's when I was a child.
Looking back, from the perspective of having studied American history for more than sixty years, I realize how false Lincoln's speech really was. Dishonest Abe Lincoln was a master of political spin, whose words were the polar opposite of his deeds. Government of the people, by the people and for the people was exactly the thing he was trying to crush in his unconstitutional and brutal attack on the Confederate nation.
Lincoln's words are a mockery when one considers that he held 13,000 northern political prisoners, without trial or due process of law - just because they disagreed with his illegal war.
Famous American writer H. L. Mencken (1880-1956), said of the Gettysburg Address: “The doctrine is simply this: that the Union soldiers who died at Gettysburg sacrificed their lives to the cause of self-determination - that government of the people, by the people, for the people should not perish from the earth. It is difficult to imagine anything more untrue. The Union soldiers in the battle actually fought against self-determination; it was the Confederates who fought for the right of their people to govern themselves.”
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