Overview
- The White House issued a message marking the 162nd anniversary, linking Lincoln’s words to America 250 and reaffirming the ideals of liberty and self-government.
- Abraham Lincoln spoke on November 19, 1863 at the Soldiers’ National Cemetery dedication in Gettysburg, four months after a battle widely regarded as a Civil War turning point.
- Invited to offer “a few appropriate remarks,” Lincoln delivered roughly 271 words in under three minutes to a crowd of about 15,000.
- Orator Edward Everett gave the two-hour keynote before Lincoln’s concise address, highlighting the contrast in length and approach.
- The Address endures through five handwritten versions, two held by the Library of Congress, and its inscription on the south interior wall of the Lincoln Memorial.