The Question of Peace: Abe Lincoln's "story" at Gettysburg

Abraham Lincoln was a storyteller – first, last and always. Whether it was in the parlor, in the courtroom, at the podium, or in the White House, Lincoln had a story to tell. And his audiences loved them – and they remembered them!

According to Shawn Callahan – an international business consultant and founder of Anecdote, the world’s largest business storytelling company – the Gettysburg Address is also one of his stories .[*]

This short, simple, cemetery dedication speech - the shortest speech Lincoln ever gave - grabbed the attention of the world. Ranked as one of the greatest speeches of all time, memorized by countless students over more than 150 years, and extensively quoted by scholars and writers in just about every field, this magnificent address is actually a story! 

Callahan – in his book, Putting Stories to Work: Mastering Business Storytelling – calls the speech a “clarity story” – one of the most effective story structures a storyteller can use.

This type of story is so valuable because for people to be engaged [supportive], they need to understand why they should take action. The clarity story provides reasons in the most powerful and digestible format possible. [2]

Of course, Lincoln never read Callahan’s book or ever took a storytelling seminar, but he did grow up listening to his father, Thomas Lincoln – a talented storyteller in his own right – swap stories with his friends and neighbors. While Lincoln was the polar opposite of his father in almost every respect, he did learn the value of a good story.

The more widely he read and the more audiences he faced, the more Lincoln refined his art. As a politician and a lawyer, Lincoln quickly perceived that the more comfortable audiences and juries felt about listening to him and the more they understood the evidence and arguments he presented, the greater his chances were for a decision in his favor.

And a good story often provided the key.

Although Lincoln accepted very few public speaking invitations once he became president, he jumped at the chance to give “a few appropriate remarks” after the featured speaker – Edward Everett – at the dedication ceremonies for the new National Cemetery at Gettysburg on November 19, 1863. [3]

Lincoln wanted the opportunity to send a message to the nation – both halves of it – and that message had very little to do with the causes of the war and more to do with the war itself.

There was growing public interest in peace negotiations on both sides – especially after the Union victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg. One “official” overture to hold talks was even offered by the Confederate government the previous July. However, all of these calls for negotiations assumed the independence of the South and not a reunification of the states.

So at Gettysburg that day, Lincoln gave the nation his official answer about those negotiations, and his reasons why in “the most powerful and digestible format possible” – a story.

Alison Davis – in her INC. article for businesses – broke down Lincoln’s address using Callahan’s clarity model as an example of a good case study format. [4] Here’s the result:

Part 1 begins with a look back at the past to take the listener back to the way things used to be.

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

Part 2 shifts to something that happened: the events that caused a problem or opportunity.

“Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.”

Part 3 is what Callahan calls “so now . . .” which describes the decision or action needed to respond.

“But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — we can not hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.”

Part 4 looks ahead to the future to envision a desired outcome.

“It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — 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 the earth.”

The answer that Lincoln gave to the nation that day was unequivocal - reunification under one government only. But the way he put it was unforgettable. 

No wonder the Gettysburg Address is considered one of the greatest speeches of all time - it’s a Lincoln story!

Food for thought.

Mac

Works Cited

[*] Callahan is a sought-after keynote speaker, international business consultant and executive coach who works with global business organisations. He is also the founder of Anecdote, the world’s largest business storytelling company that helps leaders and sellers around the world to find and tell oral stories with impact. His award-winning book – Putting Stories to Work: Mastering Business Storytelling – is a practical guide to using storytelling concepts to enhance business sales. [1]

[1] “About the Author”, Amazon Prime Book Sales page for Putting Stories to Work: Mastering Business Storytelling. Retrieved March 24, 2021.

[2] Callahan, Shawn. (2016) Putting Stories to Work: Mastering Business Storytelling. Melbourne, Australia: Pepperberg Press.

[3] Wills, Garry. (1992) Lincoln at Gettysburg. New York City, NY: Simon & Schuster.

[4] Davis, Alison. “To Improve Your Storytelling Skills, Use Abraham Lincoln as Inspiration”. Inc.- February 11, 2018. Retrieved from https://www.inc.com/alison-davis/to-improve-your-storytelling-skills-use-abraham-lincoln-as-inspiration.html on March 21, 2022.