Near the beginning of his address, after …show more content…
When speaking about the Civil War, Lincoln ponders whether “that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.” By including “any nation,” Lincoln takes the focus off the United States and shifts it to the ideals with which it was “conceived” and to which it is “dedicated.” This change does not undermine the importance of the United States. Rather, it makes the United States a significant player in Lincoln’s chief concern: whether any nation with such ideals can persevere. In a time when the United States is young and vulnerable, Lincoln realizes many are questioning the viability of democracy. He stresses that the Civil War will determine the survival of the United States as it was originally conceived. Furthermore, he asserts that the soldiers at Gettysburg died attempting to protect this original vision of the