The Gettysburg Address is a speech given by President Abraham Lincoln on 19 November 1863 at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. In about 270 words, it redefined the Civil War as a struggle for liberty and equality.
Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg, fought on 1–3 July 1863, was the bloodiest of the Civil War, with some fifty thousand men killed, wounded or missing. The Union army stopped the invasion of the North by Robert E. Lee.
A national cemetery was created for the Union dead. Its dedication was set for 19 November, with the orator Edward Everett as the main speaker; Lincoln was invited to say 'a few appropriate remarks'.
The speech
Lincoln spoke for about two minutes, after Everett's two-hour oration. He recalled the founding of the nation on the principle that all men are created equal, honoured the dead, and called on the living to finish their work.
He ended with the hope that the nation would have 'a new birth of freedom' and that government of the people, by the people, for the people would not perish from the earth.
The texts
Five manuscript copies in Lincoln's hand are known, named after the people who received them: Nicolay, Hay, Everett, Bancroft and Bliss. They differ slightly in wording.
The Bliss copy, written in 1864 for a charity sale, is the only one Lincoln signed and dated, and is the version most often reproduced. It is kept in the White House.
Anecdotes
Written on the train?
A popular legend says that Lincoln wrote the speech on the back of an envelope on the train to Gettysburg. In fact he had prepared drafts in Washington and revised it at Gettysburg.
Carved in stone
The full text of the address is carved on the south wall inside the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, opposite his Second Inaugural Address.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Gettysburg Address?
About 270 words, depending on the version, and it took about two minutes to deliver.
Why did Lincoln go to Gettysburg?
To speak at the dedication of the national cemetery for the Union soldiers killed in the battle of July 1863.
Which version is the official one?
There is none; the Bliss copy, signed and dated by Lincoln, is the most often reproduced.