The following statement is one of the themes of the Gettysburg Address:
The importance of preserving democracy and the Union even in the face of great adversity.
In the Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln spoke about the sacrifices made by soldiers in the Civil War and emphasized the importance of continuing their work to preserve democracy and the Union. He argued that the war was a test of whether a nation "conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal" could endure, and that it was up to the living to continue the unfinished work of those who had given their lives for the cause. This theme of preserving democracy and the Union even in difficult times remains relevant today.