What is the main idea of Lincoln's speech?

Question

This question involves with Lincoln's speech "The Gettysburg Adress."

Answer 1

Here's the gist of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, though, of course, there is a great deal of context that I am leaving out, but this should at least get you on the right track.

Lincoln begins by referencing the principles that our government were founded upon ("Four score and seven years ago...all men are created equal").

Then, he gets into the idea that the Civil War is a test to see if these principles will last, because other republics have failed ("Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure...It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.").

Finally, Lincoln is saying that we need to make sure that the Union wins the Civil War in order to preserve our form of government ("that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from this earth.").