Read the two passages. Excerpt from The Gettysburg Address, 1863

By Abraham Lincoln

Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth upon 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…[and many have died]. It is for us the living…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 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 this earth.

Excerpt from John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, 1961

By John F. Kennedy

In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger; I do not shrink from this responsibility.… I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it…and the glow from that fire can truly light the world. And so, my fellow Americans…ask not what your country can do for you…ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world…ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the Freedom of Man.

According to the supporting details, what do the speeches by Lincoln and Kennedy have in common?

Both speeches mention that the presidents do not welcome the role of defending freedom.

Both speeches pose a question for each American to ask themselves.

Both speeches express they do not want those who have died during a war to have died in vain.

Both speeches indicate a desire to motivate and unite Americans in order to preserve freedom.