Forty Seven South, Gettysburg Pennsylvania | Teen Ink

Forty Seven South, Gettysburg Pennsylvania

March 28, 2023
By JustinHammond GOLD, Wilimington, Delaware
JustinHammond GOLD, Wilimington, Delaware
11 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.” - Christopher Reeve


“Sir.” He lifted me up from the elbow first, knowing he was lifting me from the elbow first, I simply couldn’t comprehend the need. Noir did I care for it? 


“Sir.” He continued, his voice growing faint, as the sound of his voice began to drift away. 

Drifting away as other familiar voices and sounds came about. Sounds of violence? Violence? Can violence be a sound? I doubted it, as I continued to hear noises. Those noises simply made my ears bleed and made my throat sick!

“Sir. you must be concrete, serve! Concentrate!” 


Attempting to open my eyes, I felt the warmness of the sun on my eyelids once more. As my head hurt and the first words that came to my head were Four scores and seven years ago…. “Four scores and seven years ago.”  Did I come up with that? The obvious answer would have been yes, if I had known at the moment. Did I currently know or get the notion that I had written it out?



“Sir.” The man said again and this time, my eyes opened, as I heard noises. 


Banging now. The man’s voice was so echoey and maybe distant as he was on the other side of the door. 


“How’s your letter coming sir?” He asked me. 


“What letter?” I asked, now feeling something in my hand.


“The letter to Awaken America, by forty seven south, Gettusburge Pennsylviania.”   


“Forty seven south?” I asked him, 


“Forty seven south, you were saying something about four-” 


“Four scores and seven years ago.” I finished the sentence for him. 


“Yes sir!” He said 


“Four scores and seven years ago………” My mind begins to wander as I said again. 


Gettysburg Pennsylvania…… What a mess! Is this the America that was meant to be after Thomas Jefferson and George Washington? My insides told me a yes. How could this have come about? How could it have evolved into this great contest? This great callasuso battle?  This horrifying present and past of the American people? What future is going to come from this? I wondered, as I stared blankly across at the parchment in front of me. Could this be the future?  No. I wouldn’t let it get up towards this point? This future? Only one reason struck me at the time, as I swayed back and forth on the train. 


“Sir. you must be concrete, serve! Concentrate!” 


Yes I must concentrate if I was to address the great area of Gettysburg. If I were to tell the people a way to embrace their differences then surely I will do it! I believe the American people, once woken up, will be making a difference. The difference to embrace their differences upon one another! 


Then the words started coming to me. First in thought then in harmony. Like songs! Sung by the greatness of heavens and beyond earth! This’d be Beyond Superior!  No it was to be ‘Conceived in liberty.” 

 

“Four scores and seven years ago……” I wrote down, and smiled to myself, thinking harder at how this could go….. “our fathers.” I looked up as I saw the ceiling as I “brought forth” 


 My attention back towards the roll of parchment in front of me and  “on this continent a new nation”,  So conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. I wrote that down and smiled to myself and read it aloud to myself and got the next few lines down, I said. 

 “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.” 


It was done! I read it aloud to myself once more, then to him, as I allowed him entry towards my cabin. 

 

“Sir, how is it?” He asked me. 


I looked at him. 


“Sir, how is it?” 


“Very astounding.” I stood tall. 


“Outstanding Lincoln!” He prided me. 


I nodded as I looked upon the parchment on the table. 


“Shall we read it aloud?” He asked me. 


“May we sir?” I turned to him. 


“We may.” He nodded at me. 


I turned to him, then the parchment, “Should I add the line of Americans embracing their differences?” I peer at him. 


“Tell me the idea first.” He told me. 

I nodded and looked at the world behind me. 


“American’s shouldn’t be fighting another but embracing their differences! Isn’t that what America is all about? Differences. Differences of the people, and the differences of all. Slavery isn’t right or just. All men should be created equal and opportunities presented just as easily, right?” I asked. 


“Right sir.” He looked at me, “Go on.” 


“America made the right decision when electing me. I’ve seen it in the awe-starry eyes of all those who watched me win. These awe-eyes knew what America was getting in the package. The package of making America new just how our fathers made it up and wrote out the constitution. The constitution in which the future was a deal, right? Should we have to fight and kill each other just to prove a point?” I looked out the window once again, “Killing each other isn’t the answer is it?” I turned to look at the other man. 


“Very good Lincoln, you’ve nailed the point. I believe we choose right when electing you. 


“Do you think so?” I asked him. 


“Yes sir.” he looked at me. 


“Terrific.” I responded and moved to pick up the parchment, looking it once over as I said it aloud without breathing. 


“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. “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.”  I breathed as I said aloud to the people. 


So conceived in the people, silence at first, before some eruption. Before applauding as I now looked across the people of the area.


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