The Civil War and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address continue to be a focal point in history and social studies curricula. Using primary source images and detailed analysis of the speech, this book examines the context and meaning of this significant speech. It discusses the social and political issues that were in play in the United States before and during the Civil War. It surveys the divisions between the pro-slavery and antislavery states and various attempts at compromise. Readers will learn of Lincoln’s political rise, the secession of the Confederate states, and the Civil War itself.