Today In History: Lincoln Delivers the Gettysburg Address

On November 19th, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered an address at the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in honor of the dead Union soldiers and those who would continue to die during the Civil War for the pursuit of freedom, equality, and democratic ideals. A short speech of  272 words that lasted a mere couple of minutes, the Gettysburg Address would go down in history as one of the most perfect and impactful speeches of all time, following the 50,000 that died, were wounded, or went missing after the battle that took place in and around Gettysburg from July 1st to July 3rd, 1863.  Not only did this famous speech push the abolition of slavery, but also the reunification of the Union through the metaphor of birth or new life, with belief in the preservation of government of, by, and for the people. Interestingly, the featured speaker at Gettysburg was Edward Everett, Ambassador to Great Britain and one of the nation's esteemed orators, who spoke for a full two hours -- but to much less acclaim.

The Gettysburg Address has been studied in classrooms, interpreted in scholarship, and subject to award winning research -- notably by historian and journalist Garry Wills, whose book, Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America (New York: Simon and Schuster, c1992), won a Pulitzer Prize the year after it was published. At Teachers College, Professor Louis Forsdale created an historical time capsule that drew attention to both Lincoln's speech and Willis' interpretation as signifiying two "revolutions": the first, in the literary style of politicians, and the second, in our understanding of the Constitution of the United States.

The following articles are drawn from Proquest Historical Newspapers, which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning.

• In Memory of Lincoln: G.A.R. Plans to Issue Gettysburg Address in Bronze.  (1906, Dec 30). New - York Tribune (1900-1910) 
• Lincoln, A. (1908, Jul 25). Famous Gems of Prose: Gettysburg Address. Boston Daily Globe (1872-1922) 
• de Lue, W. (1921, Jun 10). Great Speeches: V--Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Boston Daily Globe (1872-1922)
• 'Gettysburg Address' Spoken at Scene of 75 Years Ago Event: Unexpected Happened. (1938, Nov 19). The Christian Science Monitor (1908-) 
• Our Flag-- How to Respect and Display It: Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. (1941, May 30). Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963) 
• November 18 and 19, 1863: Gettysburg Address and the Press. (1963, Feb 09). The Christian Science Monitor (1908-) 
• Myers, P. (1970, Apr 26). I Remember: 'Cousin Eli' and Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. The Sun (1837-) 
• Gilbert, J. I. (1978, Nov 19). I Reported the Gettysburg Address: An Eye-Witness Account By the Man Who Covered President Lincoln's Immortal Speech for the Associated Press. Chicago Tribune (1963-1996) 
• Holzer, H. (1992, May 31). Anatomy of an Oration: Garry Wills' Provocative, Original, Revisionist Reading of the Gettysburg Address. Chicago Tribune (1963-1996) 
• Hill, R.  (1995, Jan 17). The Ink Is Faded, the Message Clear: Gettysburg Address Has Rare Viewing. The Washington Post (1974-)

Tips:

• Conant, Sean, ed. The Gettysburg Address : Perspectives on Lincoln’s Greatest Speech. 1st ed. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 2015. e-book.
• David, Alex. Examining the Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln. New York, New York: Enslow Publishing, 2021. e-book.
• Fletcher, George P. Our Secret Constitution: How Lincoln Redefined American Democracy. 1st ed. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 2003. e-book.
• Fritz, Jean, and Charles Robinson. Just a Few Words, Mr. Lincoln : The Story of the Gettysburg Address. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1993. Curriculum ; E475.55 .F86 1993
• Hoffman, Edwin David. Creators of a Democratic Heritage : Nine Dramatic Episodes on the Building of the American Democratic Tradition New York: Teachers College, 1952. Ed'D. Closed Stacks Dissertations ; JC423 .H64 1952.  e-dissertation.
• Knorowski, Carla, ed. Gettysburg Replies : The World Responds to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Guilford, Connecticut: LP, 2015.  e-book.
• Tanaka, Shelley, and David Craig. Gettysburg : The Legendary Battle and the Address That Inspired a Nation. First U.S. edition. New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2003.  Curriculum ; E475.53 .T36 2003

Images:

• Lincoln, Abraham, Gettysburg Address Cut on Bronze Tablet. N.p., 1930. From the Rothman Lantern Slide Collection, Courtesy of Teachers College, Columbia University.
• Poster Image: Abraham Lincoln, Courtesy of Canva.

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