Address Delivered at Gettysburg, October 19, 1887

Download or read book Address Delivered at Gettysburg, October 19, 1887 written by Seth Low and published by . This book was released on 2015-07-13 with total page 22 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Address Delivered at Gettysburg, October 19, 1887: At the Dedication of the Soldiers' Monument, to the Fourteenth Regiment of Brooklyn Not in vain have they fought and died whose fortunate mission it was to interpret the past and to bless the future. Neither does it lack significance that this battle should have been fought on the soil of Pennsylvania. The popular faculty, which so often gives names with a deep insight into the real significance of things, long ago called Pennsylvania the Keystone State. Historically, no less than geographically, the name applies. In the majestic arch formed by this Union of independent States, Pennsylvania always has been the keystone. Upon the soil of Pennsylvania met the first and the second Continental Congress. Upon the soil of Pennsylvania, George Washington was commissioned Commander in Chief of the Continental Armies. Upon the soil of Pennsylvania was made the immortal Declaration of Independence. Upon the soil of Pennsylvania the Liberty Bell first of all rang out the joyful peal of liberty throughout the land. It was here that Franklin drew lightning from the sky, and it was here were forged the thunderbolts which made the Colonies independent States. Again, at Gettysburg, in our own generation, were hurled the bolts which have made the Union free. The Civil War, in which the battle of Gettysburg was the turning point, became inevitable when the Constitution of the United States recognized and permitted slavery within our borders. Whatever other issues of constitutional interpretation were involved, they all hinged upon slavery, as that which gave to them all their chief meaning and consequence. At the outbreak of the war men did not see this clearly, as they see it now. The preservation of the Union was the rallying cry; and men said it oftentimes without at all realizing how grand a cry it was. The preservation of the Union by no possibility could involve only the life of the nation. It involved necessarily the freedom of a race and the best hopes of mankind. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.