Question

Which event described in the secondary source about the Gettysburg Address "set the precedent that the states would ultimately remain indivisible as members of a single nation"? A. Edward Everett's speech that was delivered before the Gettysburg Address
B. The signing of the Emancipation Proclamation
C. The dedication of the grounds of the Battle of Gettysburg as a cemetery
D. The signing of the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction

Answer 1

Having nearly a year before issued the carefully worded Emancipation Proclamation, which relied on the wartime powers of the executive to liberate slaves in the Confederacy, Lincoln now painted in bolder strokes. Referring to the notion of equality in the midst of a wartime social revolution, as African Americans walked off southern plantations and into the northern army, Lincoln seemed to be pushing the country forward. The president called on Americans to dedicate themselves to “the unfinished work” of those who had fought at Gettysburg, thus joining America’s founding ideal of equality with African Americans’ aspirations for liberty.

The correct answer is:
B. The signing of the Emancipation Proclamation