Lincoln Redefines America: The Gettysburg Address
Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863, in about two minutes. The featured speaker, Edward Everett, had spoken for two hours before him. Lincoln used 272 words. Everett wrote to Lincoln the next day: 'I should be glad if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion in two hours as you did in two minutes.' The speech redefined the purpose of the war: not just to preserve the Union, but to fulfill the Declaration of Independence's promise that all men are created equal. Lincoln never said 'Union' or 'Constitution.' He said 'a new nation, conceived in liberty.' Five manuscript copies exist in Lincoln's handwriting, each slightly different. The speech was largely ignored by newspapers at the time. Its reputation grew over decades until it became the most quoted speech in American history.
November 19, 1863
163 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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