Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
We the People: The Gettysburg Address
Nonfiction
For ages 8 to 10
Compass Point Books, 2005 ISBN: 978-0756512712
On November 19th, 1863 President Lincoln went to the small Pennsylvanian town of Gettysburg. He was invited to attend and speak at the dedication of the Gettysburg cemetery; many soldiers who had died in the battle of Gettysburg just a few months earlier had been buried in the new cemetery. The battle had been fierce and the casualties had been numerous. President Lincoln wanted to explain to those who were at the ceremony why he felt the war was necessary and why the nation should both grieve for and be grateful to those who died in the field of battle. His speech would become one of the most famous and inspirational speeches ever given and in this excellent book the author helps his readers understand what was happening in the United States in the years both preceding and after the delivery of the Gettysburg Address.
In this well written and easy to understand non-fiction title from the "We the People" series the author describes the conditions that lead to war breaking out and then goes on to explain what Lincoln?s stand was and how the speech came to be written. He concludes with a chapter about what happened after the speech was given and how America reacted to it. At the back of the book the reader will find a glossary of words, an index, a "Did You Know" page, a list of "Important Dates," a list of "Important people," and a list of resources.
