Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endu
re. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate – we can not consecrate – we can not hallow – this ground.
—The Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln
To consecrate means to declare something sacred or holy. What feeling does the word "consecrate" give to the speech?
