Freedom, history homework help

Essay: A 220 point essay it should be 5 paragraphs with a clear thesis and supporting info that answers the ‘to what extent’ and ‘continuity’ question.

Background:

In the Gettysburg Address Abraham Lincoln acknowledges the founding notion that the United States was conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal while concluding that the nation shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Question:To what extent has the United States, from 1776-1900, fulfilled the pledge of freedom?