The Gettysburg Address-Abraham Lincoln

In the Gettysburg Address, I think that there is a different viewpoint than that of Henry David Thoreau. Abraham Lincoln was a obviously a big part of government, considering he was president. He tried to make changes to the government, which is what Thoreau hoped would happen. In the first line, "all men are created equal" is a strong quote. Looking at previous stories like Fredrick Douglas, who was a negro and did not believe that all men were created equal and that the liberty and freedom that we received was not for him, makes me have a different view on this story. They both represent Thoreau's philosophies but in very different ways. Abraham Lincoln's words were very powerful. He found ways to create equality between all people. He laid a part of the battle field to those who gave their lives for the freedom we still have. The main difference between Thoreau's words and Abraham's words are Thoreau had a lot of power in his words whereas Abraham had a lot of power in his actions. Thoreau was not in a government position and he did not have the power to make the changes he wanted to see, but he was able to speak his words and get people to listen to him. Abraham Lincoln was in a government position so he was able to put words into actions, but he did not think words were as important. His quote, "The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here," shows that his words may not be important, but the battle that happened is important and the people who lost their lives will be remembered for a long time. The philosophies between the two philosophers are very different from each other I think mainly because how different they are in society and how other people see them. I think though that Thoreau paved the way for Abraham Lincoln because he changed the government and was able to put Thoreau's ideas into actions with the power in political government he held. Thoreau was also against violence. He accepted it, but he was against it. Abraham Lincoln was not for violence, but the war was something that needed to be done in order for government change and change in society.

Lincoln, Abraham. "The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln." NetINS Showcase. Abraham Lincoln Online. Web. 08 Feb. 2012. <http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm>.