Vidal Gore — Eighteen Seventy [2813]

THIS EVENING at Chickering Hall I addressed a large audience of Europeans come to observe the election. Apparently I was the choice of both Democrats and Republicans to address those foreign personalities (to a man, lovers of liberty) who have converged on New York to observe the way our republic manages elections in its hundredth year. — Vidal Gore, Eighteen Seventy, 2813

Note

The opening sentence establishes a setting and context that engages readers by highlighting the significance of the event—observing the election in the centennial year of the republic. It appeals to the historical consciousness of the audience.