The Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863) forever changed the little Pennsylvania town. In fewer than 300 words delivered over two to three minutes, Lincoln invoked the principles of human equality espoused by the Declaration of Independence and redefined the Civil War as a struggle not merely for the Union, but as "a new birth of freedom" that would bring true equality to all of its citizens.īeginning with the now-iconic phrase "Four score and seven years ago," Lincoln referred to the events of the American Revolution and described the ceremony at Gettysburg as an opportunity not only to dedicate the grounds of a cemetery, but also to consecrate the living in the struggle to ensure that "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."ĭavid Wills's letter inviting Abraham Lincoln to make a few remarks, noting that Edward Everett would deliver the oration. Lincoln's carefully crafted address, secondary to other presentations that day, came to be regarded as one of the greatest speeches in American history. It was delivered at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on November 19, 1863, during the American Civil War, four and a half months after the Battle of Gettysburg. President Abraham Lincoln and one of the most quoted speeches in United States history. The Gettysburg Address is the most famous speech of U.S.
Selection from the "Nicolay Copy" of the Gettysburg Address, handwritten by Lincoln himself.
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