Chapter 18 How Lincoln Prepared His Speeches

How did Lincoln prepare his speeches?Thankfully, we know the answer.As you read about Lincoln's method, you may find in Director Brown's speech several procedures and steps that Lincoln used three-quarters of a century ago.In one of his famous speeches, Lincoln declared farsightedly: "If the house is divided, it will fall; and if we continue to be half-serf, half-democratic, government will not long last." So, how did Lincoln think so clearly about this speech?He was thinking as he went about his daily work; he was thinking when he was eating; he was thinking when he was walking in the street; He still thinks about it on his daily commute to the butcher and grocery store.An old gray shawl was draped over his shoulders, and a vegetable basket was on his arm. Beside him was his youngest son, who was chattering questions, growing resentment, and twitching his slender and bony fingers in vain. Wishing he had spoken to himself, but Lincoln strode, lost in thought, contemplating his speech, as if forgetting the existence of the child.

In this constant process of thinking and gestation, Lincoln would often hastily jot down fragments of text and sentences which he would invariably scribble on scattered envelopes, slips of paper, or tear out of paper bags. In short, as long as it is something that can be written by his side.He would tuck these records into the top of his hat and carry them with him.Finally, he organizes them into a logical order, puts them on paper and revises them until they are finalized for presentation and publication. At the public discussion of 1858, Senator Douglas delivered the same speech everywhere he went; however, Lincoln was not like this, he was constantly researching, thinking and introspecting, striving to make the speech more understandable and acceptable, he said he would rather Give a new speech every day instead of repeating it every day.This goal made his thinking expand day by day.

Shortly before Lincoln entered the White House, he copied a copy of the Constitution and three speeches for reference only, and locked himself in a dirty, dusty house, an abandoned house, above a store at Springfield Athletic Field.It was there, away from intrusion and interference from outsiders, that he wrote his inaugural address.So, how did Lincoln prepare for his Gettysburg Address? Unfortunately, false reporting on this has been overwhelming.But the real facts are fascinating.Let's share this story: When the Board of Trustees of Gettysburg Cemetery decided to organize a solemn dedication, they invited Eddie Ward Everett to do it.He was a clergyman in Boston, president of Harvard University, governor of Massachusetts, senator of the United States, ambassador to Great Britain, secretary of state, and considered the best orator in America.The lecture was originally scheduled for October 23, 1863.But Everett was very wise. He believed that it was impossible to prepare well within such a short period of time. Therefore, in order to give him sufficient preparation time, the speech was postponed for nearly a month and scheduled to be held on November 19.Everett spent the last three days of the preparation period in Gettysburg, using this opportunity to revisit the battlefield and get familiar with everything that happened there.These few days of thinking are the perfect preparation for him to be there.

The invitation letter to attend the scene was sent to every member of Congress, and Lincoln and his cabinet also received the invitation to attend the scene. Most of them politely declined, but Lincoln agreed to participate, which surprised the members of the committee. expected.So, should he be invited to speak?But that's not their intention.So objections arose: First, Lincoln had run out of time to prepare for the speech.Second, even if he had the time, would he have the ability?True, he was at ease commenting on serfdom or addressing the Coopers' Guild, but who ever heard Lincoln ever give an address?This is a very serious and solemn speech, and there must be no mistakes.

So how about letting Lincoln say a few words?They thought back and forth.However, if they knew what happened later, they might be even more puzzled: How could this person whose ability was still questioned, on such an occasion, publish an article that has been widely read and lasted for a long time? What about the speech?Finally, two weeks before the dedication address, the commissioners extended an invitation to Lincoln to "make appropriate comments on the speech," which seemed a bit late.And, note their wording: "Make appropriate comments." This is for the President of the United States!

Lincoln immediately began preparations.He wrote to Eddie Ward Everett right away, got a copy of his speech, and a day or two later, when he was photographing himself in the photographer's gallery, he took advantage of the spare time, Everett's manuscript was read repeatedly.For several days, whether he was commuting between the White House and the war command room, or lying back on the leather couch in the war command room waiting for the latest radio report, he was immersed in his speech.On a large sheet of paper he wrote a rough draft of his speech and carried it with him on the top of his top hat.He kept thinking, and gradually, the speech was finalized.

On the last Sunday before the speech, Lincoln said to Noah Brooks: "The speech is not written accurately enough, and it is not perfect in any way. In fact, I have rewritten it many times. Therefore, I You can only ponder and ponder until you are satisfied." He arrived in Gettysburg the night before his address.This small town has already become a sea of ​​people.Usually, there were 1,300 people here, but now, it has ballooned to 15,000; the sidewalks have become so crowded that it is difficult to walk, and people have to stand on the side of the dirty street; There was a rest, and people sang the song "Body of John Brown."In front of Will's house where Lincoln stayed, a crowd of people gathered in advance.People serenaded him and begged him to say a few words.Lincoln's few words are clear and not tactful.Perhaps, the next day is the best time for him to speak.The truth, however, was that he rethought his speech for the rest of the evening.He even went to the room where the neighboring secretary, Seward, lived, and read the speeches aloud for comments.

After breakfast the next day, he resumed working on his lecture notes, until a slight knock on the door alerted him that it was time to join the queue.In the procession, Colonel Carr rode behind Lincoln, and he told us: "When the procession began to advance, Mr. President sat upright on the horseback, looking like the chief commander of the army; but in the procession , his body was leaning forward, his arms were hanging loosely, and his head was bent down, as if immersed in thinking." We can only speculate that, until then, he was still working on his pocket speech—the ten immortal sentences.Many of Lincoln's speeches were undoubtedly failures because in them he had little interest.But when it comes to slavery and reunification, he has tremendous energy.Why?Because he has been thinking about these issues unremittingly, and he has deep feelings.One night, in an Illinois hotel, Lincoln shared a room with his companion.The next morning, Lincoln's partner woke up and found him sitting on the bed facing the wall, and the first sentence he said was: "The system of half-serf and half-democracy will be implemented, and the government will not rule for long."