Repetition of “we can not”
Creates a solemn, sorrowful mood and emphasizes that we cannot make this ground holy because those that died have already done that. The soldiers gave all that they had, and the American citizens can’t or won’t be able to recreate this.
Ironic that we do remember this speech now, but we don’t remember the individuals who lost their lives. Perhaps it is in fact Lincoln who consecrated this ground, not the