Final answer:
Lincoln's Gettysburg Address references the founding of the United States and the Battle of Gettysburg, honoring the soldiers who fought for the principles of liberty and equality during the American Civil War.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the first two lines of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, he references the event of founding the United States of America, stating "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." However, the immediate context of these lines also reflects on the Battle of Gettysburg itself, which had taken place just a few months prior to the speech, serving as a significant turning point during the American Civil War. Lincoln was at Gettysburg to dedicate the Soldiers' National Cemetery, honoring those who had fallen in battle and reiterating the ideals of liberty and equality that the nation was fighting to preserve.