The Gettysburg Address is best associated with which central idea?

• A. Speaking of a 'new birth of freedom'.
• B. A pledge to pay soldiers' pensions.
• C. An emphasis on states' rights.
• D. A call for immediate resegregation.

Answer: (D)

The main idea being tested is how Lincoln reframes the Civil War as a fight for a new birth of freedom—an expansion of equality and a government that endures because it is based on the people’s rights, not just the preservation of the Union. In the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln honors those who fought and then shifts the war’s purpose toward ensuring that “government of the people, by the people, for the people” survives, which he connects to a deeper commitment to liberty and equality. The phrase “new birth of freedom” signals expanding rights to all, rather than focusing on pensions, states’ rights, or any idea of resegregation. The speech argues for a united nation built on the principle of equality, not for dividing or retreating into sectional claims.