Abraham Lincoln - The Gettysburg Address (1863)

Photo: President Lincoln among the crowd at Gettysburg.,The Battle of Gettysburg occurred over three hot summer days, July 1 to July 3, 1863, around the small market town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It began as a skirmish but by its end involved 160,000 Americans and effectively decided¹ the fate of the Union.,On November 19, 1863, President Lincoln went to the Battlefield to dedicate it as a national cemetery². The main orator³, Edward Everett of Massachusetts, delivered a two hour formal address. The president then had his turn. He spoke⁴ in his high, penetrating⁵ voice, and in a little over two minutes delivered this speech, surprising many in the audience by its shortness and leaving many others quite unimpressed.,Over time, however, his speech with its ending words - government of the People, by the People, for the People - have come to symbolize⁶ the definition of democracy itself.,