Rating: 
Summary: A New Birth of Freedom
Review: The Battle of Gettysburg, a pivotal event in the Civil War, raged from July 1 to July 3, 1863. It was the largest battle ever fought in the Western Hemisphere and ended the Confederacy's second invasion of the North. Following the battle, the community of Gettysburg was thick with dead and wounded men. The Governor of Pennsylvania authorized the purchase of a cemetry for the reburial of the Union dead. The cemetry was dedicated in a ceremony on November 19, 1863. Edward Everett, a disinguished orator of the day, delivered a speech lasting over two hours. President Abraham Lincoln also accepted an invitation to deliver short remarks. His remarks of 272 became known as the Gettysburg Address. They constitute a seminal statement, and restatement of the American vision.Gary Wills's study "Lincoln at Gettysburg" deserves the accolades it has received if for no other reason than it gave many readers the opportunity to read and think about the Gettysburg Address. This is a speech that is dulled and lost in childhood. It needs to be approached and rethought as an adult to get an understanding of the depth of Lincoln's message. Wills sees the Gettysburg Address as recasting and remaking the American democratic experience. The speech expressly brings the hearer and reader back to the Declaration of Independence with its self-evident truth that "All men are created equal." This truth, Lincoln turns into a "proposition" on which our country was founded. (The Constitution, adopted thirteen years after the Declaration, countenances slavery and includes no language about human equality.) In his spare prose, Lincoln says little directly about the nature of "equality". Wills discusses the address and masterfully places it in the context of Lincoln's earlier speeches to help the reader understand the development of Lincoln's ideas on slavery, the antithesis of human equality. The Gettysburg Address also sounded the theme of the United States as a single undivided nation rather than a union or confederation of States. Wills shows how this theme too derives from the Declaration, when the people of the colonies rose up in unity to declare their Independence from Britain. Wills also reminds the reader of the sources of the idea of Nationhood in American history. He alludes to the Federalism of Chief Justice John Marshall and Justice Joseph Story. In particular, Wills discusses the Webster-Hayne debates. Lincoln greatly admired Webster as well as his fellow Whig, Henry Clay. Webster uttered the famous line "Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable," which resonates through the Gettysburg Address. Wills tries to show the influence on Lincoln's thought on the transcendentalism of Emerson and of Theodore Parker. I thought this one of the more challenging sections of the book. While the Declaration was born in the skepticism of British empiricism and of Deism, transcendentalism emphasized the ideal. The Declaration and the Address, and the American mission, Lincoln transformed into ideal to be struggled for and realized by the living to commemorate the sacrifice of those who gave their lives to attain it. The book also includes an excellent treatment of rhetoric and speech, tracing Lincoln's address back to Thucidides and Georgias and ending with the observation that it marked the beginning of modern American prose. This book will encourage the reader to rethink and to understand the great nature of the American political experiment.
Rating: 
Summary: An excellent book that falls just a bit shy of 5 stars
Review: This book is so close to being a five star on the amazon.com rating scale. It is an excellent book that fizzles out at the end. The only other problem is that Wills begins taking issue with the works of Mc Pherson and never truly substantiates his claims. To me it appeared that Wills has some point of contention with Mc Pherson, but he never fully develops the conflict. Wills book is not long, but it is very detailed and loaded. When reading this book you can tell that the words were chosen very carefully by the author. It is THE book on the Gettysburg address.
Rating:
Summary: Hymnal for the Battle Hymn Weary
Review: This book, a slim, well-composed study of the language of the Gettysburg Address -a language emblazoned into modern memory as it was taught by rote in grammars- is a joy for enthusiasts of history, literature, and most any other field of interest. As with other books by Wills because of the topicality it is atypical yet well-represented in its approach. The eloquent musicality of Lincoln's prose, in part influenced by Shakespeare, Cicero and Biblical text, surpasses, seemingly, the verbosity and dictum of forefathers Adams, Jefferson and rival Stephen Douglas, achieving a sort of quiet rapture with detractor and admirer alike. Wills' critical examination takes the reader from understanding Lincoln from within these broader references to something greater- the melding of language to the larger heroics of its literal and figurative representation (something like comnparing an anthem to a ballad) and allows the reader to discern exactly why these words transcend the obvious, striking a chord (not necessarily mystic) with its audience. Strongly recommend.
Rating:
Summary: Indispensable, superbly written Lincoln scholarship.
Review: This Garry Wills masterpiece is a suitable work of scholarship for America's greatest speech. He breaks down the Gettysburg Address line by line, thought by thought, not in linear fashion but according to five separate themes. He marks a place for Lincoln's speech in the tradition of funeral oratory, lays bare the antecedents in Greek rhetoric, and illustrates how the pitch-perfect brevity of the address marked a fundamental shift in American public speaking. Most crucially, Wills makes a thoroughly cogent case for Lincoln as the second Jefferson, responsible for the modern acknowledgement that the Declaration of Independence, with its claim (a claim its author didn't even believe) that all men are created equal, is the true founding document of the United States, rather than the Constitution (which in legal fact is the founding document), which shamefully kept silent on the fate of the "peculiar institution" that led to civil war. Wills's book is staggeringly erudite; he dazzles even when he leaves the poor reader's understanding far behind. The information he includes on historical context is compelling and will be new to even committed Civil War buffs. The book should be required reading in any course on American history or rhetoric and public speaking. Five stars aren't enough.
Rating:
Summary: Provides context for the Address
Review: This is a book that puts Lincoln's address in the context of the times, corrects numerous misconceptions about the speech, and claims that the Address represented a revolution in thought and in style. Both in the main text and in appendices, the author covers the actual Gettysburg event: who came and spoke and where. He attempts to piece together the actual writing of the address and to sort through various claims that particular drafts of the address were the final version. The author thoroughly debunks the notion that the address was a last-minute preparation. The Gettysburg Cemetery was part of the nineteenth century's renewed interest in Greek society including the Greek interest in rural cemeteries. The two hour funeral oration by eminent Greek scholar Edward Everett at Gettysburg was typical for the times. Clearly the most important aspect of the Gettysburg address was its turning to the ideas of the Declaration of Independence as the essential principles of the United States. The author shows that it was the "unfinished work" of establishing "a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal" that Lincoln focused on. In his address, Lincoln made certain that the particulars of the Civil War would not intrude on his theme of a rebirth for a nation founded in 1776. Lincoln was a noted scholar of language. The author dissects a number of Lincoln's earlier speeches to show his careful phrasing and choice of words. For the author, the Gettysburg address is the very epitome of an "economical, taut, interconnected" speech. He notes the repetition of words, the phrasing and sentence structure, and Lincoln's ability to cut out the extraneous. Though Everett was the principal speaker at Gettysburg, the simple brilliance of Lincoln's dedication remarks are what are remembered nearly one and a half centuries later. The book is quite good in providing the context for the Gettysburg Address. There are quite a few Greek references but they are not so numerous as to present an obstacle for understanding. Though not the purpose of the author, it would have been interesting to see more substantiation of the transformative impact of the Gettysburg address.
Rating: 
Summary: solid cultural history, weak political argument
Review: This is a well-written book, with moments of eloquence. In the end, though, it is uneven and unsatisfying--and mistitled. The centerpiece is, indeed, the Gettysburg Address, but Wills spends most of his time exploring the cultural background to the speech (e.g. the Greek revival, nineteenth-century cemeteries, Transcendentalism) and discussing Lincoln's other speeches. All this is fine, and often interesting, but the book might more appropriately have been titled, "Lincoln: The Man Whose Words Remade America." When he treats the cultural aspects of the period and the speech, Wills it at his best. His discussion of Greek rhetoric is truly fascinating. During the early 1800s, the United States experienced a Greek revival, in which intellectual thought moved from the Roman-republic fixation of the Founders to the ancient Greek democratic tradition. Edward Everett, a gigantic figure of the time and the main speaker at Gettysburg, led this transformation, part of which injected elements of Greek rhetoric into the culture. This showed up most prominently in the form of Greek funeral orations (such as the famous one of Pericles), a style that Lincoln adopted in his address. Also interesting is Wills' chapter on the culture of death: how cemeteries became detached from churches and moved into rural areas, how they were viewed as places of reflection and education, how even children were encouraged to participate in this culture. However, when Wills moves beyond this generally straightforward telling of history into argument, the book grows considerably weaker. Arguing against James McPherson is a dangerous thing to do, and Wills does it twice, declaring that McPherson is wrong to suggest that Lincoln came to view the South, in some manner, as a foreign power and that his position evolved to embrace unconditional surrender and total war. Not that McPherson is infallible (indeed, I'm not entirely convinced on the former point), but Wills' arguments are entirely unconvincing. Moreover, Wills apparently has some ideological axes to grind against the conservative movement he left some years ago. Twice does Wills mention the twentieth century. Both times he attacks "states' rights" or "original intent" conservatives. Criticism is heaped upon Robert Bork, Ronald Reagan, and Edwin Meese, and special animus is reserved for Willmoore Kendall. None of these individuals is beyond criticism, but doing so in this book seems out of place and disrupts the narrative flow. Wills' thesis that Lincoln effected a revolution in American political thought is a sound though not at all original one. To my mind, this book's merit lies in the first half of the book, where Wills delves into the culture of the early 1800s and places the Gettysburg Address within that milieu. The rest of the book, however, proves valuable only as a starting point for controversy, which is not entirely bad.
Rating:
Summary: solid cultural history, weak political argument
Review: This is a well-written book, with moments of eloquence. In the end, though, it is uneven and unsatisfying--and mistitled. The centerpiece is, indeed, the Gettysburg Address, but Wills spends most of his time exploring the cultural background to the speech (e.g. the Greek revival, nineteenth-century cemeteries, Transcendentalism) and discussing Lincoln's other speeches. All this is fine, and often interesting, but the book might more appropriately have been titled, "Lincoln: The Man Whose Words Remade America." When he treats the cultural aspects of the period and the speech, Wills it at his best. His discussion of Greek rhetoric is truly fascinating. During the early 1800s, the United States experienced a Greek revival, in which intellectual thought moved from the Roman-republic fixation of the Founders to the ancient Greek democratic tradition. Edward Everett, a gigantic figure of the time and the main speaker at Gettysburg, led this transformation, part of which injected elements of Greek rhetoric into the culture. This showed up most prominently in the form of Greek funeral orations (such as the famous one of Pericles), a style that Lincoln adopted in his address. Also interesting is Wills' chapter on the culture of death: how cemeteries became detached from churches and moved into rural areas, how they were viewed as places of reflection and education, how even children were encouraged to participate in this culture. However, when Wills moves beyond this generally straightforward telling of history into argument, the book grows considerably weaker. Arguing against James McPherson is a dangerous thing to do, and Wills does it twice, declaring that McPherson is wrong to suggest that Lincoln came to view the South, in some manner, as a foreign power and that his position evolved to embrace unconditional surrender and total war. Not that McPherson is infallible (indeed, I'm not entirely convinced on the former point), but Wills' arguments are entirely unconvincing. Moreover, Wills apparently has some ideological axes to grind against the conservative movement he left some years ago. Twice does Wills mention the twentieth century. Both times he attacks "states' rights" or "original intent" conservatives. Criticism is heaped upon Robert Bork, Ronald Reagan, and Edwin Meese, and special animus is reserved for Willmoore Kendall. None of these individuals is beyond criticism, but doing so in this book seems out of place and disrupts the narrative flow. Wills' thesis that Lincoln effected a revolution in American political thought is a sound though not at all original one. To my mind, this book's merit lies in the first half of the book, where Wills delves into the culture of the early 1800s and places the Gettysburg Address within that milieu. The rest of the book, however, proves valuable only as a starting point for controversy, which is not entirely bad.
Rating:
Summary: Brings Lincoln's words to life as never before
Review: This marvelous book by Garry Wills's proves that you can know something without really knowing it. Nearly every American has, at some point, been asked to memorize Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, and those who haven't have at least been exposed to it. The brilliance of Wills's book is that upon finishing it, you read Lincoln's remarks as if you had only discovered them for the first time. Part of the book is devoted to some mild debunking, for instance, that his remarks were not well received at the time. But the emphasis of the book is on placing the Address in context, the literary context, the intellectual context, the political context, and the historical context. He contrasts it with other examples of funeral orations, beginning with the Greeks and the revival of Greek forms in the decades preceding the Civil War but after the founding of the US, at which time Roman forms of learning were paramount. The intellectual context is that of American Transcendentalism, and Wills shows the degree to which Lincoln was indebted to leading Transcendentalists such as Theodore Parker for many of the ideas in the Address. The historical context is, of course, a civil war that is being waged over the fate of the nation. The political context is Lincoln's radical elevation of the notion of equality as not merely a major mark of the American experiment, but the central concept underlying the formation of our nation. The book contains many superb appendices, including a discussion of the various surviving texts, a complete transcript of Edward Everett's speech delivered on the same day, and a discussion of the precise location upon which the address was delivered. As always with Garry Wills, I am struck with the breadth of his learning and his passion for ideas. Wills never, ever writes as a mere drudge, but always as an enthusiast. Another great book by a great scholar.
Rating:
Summary: Brings Lincoln's words to life as never before
Review: This marvelous book by Garry Wills's proves that you can know something without really knowing it. Nearly every American has, at some point, been asked to memorize Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, and those who haven't have at least been exposed to it. The brilliance of Wills's book is that upon finishing it, you read Lincoln's remarks as if you had only discovered them for the first time. Part of the book is devoted to some mild debunking, for instance, that his remarks were not well received at the time. But the emphasis of the book is on placing the Address in context, the literary context, the intellectual context, the political context, and the historical context. He contrasts it with other examples of funeral orations, beginning with the Greeks and the revival of Greek forms in the decades preceding the Civil War but after the founding of the US, at which time Roman forms of learning were paramount. The intellectual context is that of American Transcendentalism, and Wills shows the degree to which Lincoln was indebted to leading Transcendentalists such as Theodore Parker for many of the ideas in the Address. The historical context is, of course, a civil war that is being waged over the fate of the nation. The political context is Lincoln's radical elevation of the notion of equality as not merely a major mark of the American experiment, but the central concept underlying the formation of our nation. The book contains many superb appendices, including a discussion of the various surviving texts, a complete transcript of Edward Everett's speech delivered on the same day, and a discussion of the precise location upon which the address was delivered. As always with Garry Wills, I am struck with the breadth of his learning and his passion for ideas. Wills never, ever writes as a mere drudge, but always as an enthusiast. Another great book by a great scholar.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating and extrodinary book!
Review: This Pulitzer prize winning book is extrodinary. It is not light reading; it's very dense and meticulously argued. But any reader of language, history or politics will marvel at the profound way in which this one simple speech changed American. No one has ever captured that notion better than Gary Wills.
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