The following argument layout represents the main argument in Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address." The speech is a civic eulogy. Accordingly, besides the deliberative argument set out below, it also presented a nominal praise of the soldiers who fought and died at the battle site.
The dead gave their lives---->We honor the dead by------->We must dedicate ourselves to
for preservation of the | our dedication to | preservation of the Union and
Union. | preserving the Union. | a new birth of freedom.
| |
Our dedication ensures----| |
the dead did not die |
in vain. |
|
The civil war tests---------->The task of preserving---|
whether the Union can the Union remains |
endure. unfinished. |
|
The Union is dedicated------->Preserving the Union is--|
to the proposition that | a great (worthy) cause.
all men are created |
equal. |
|
The Union is a govern- ---|
ment of, by, and for
the people.