The Gettysburg address
The Gettysburg Address was presented as part of a ceremony making the Gettysburg battlefield a Soldier’s National Cemetery to honor the Americans who died there. The Battle of Gettysburg lasted from July 1 to July 3, 1863 and changed the course of the war against the South. The Gettysburg Address was given by President Lincoln and it is considered one of the most well known speeches in history. The Gettysburg Address starts out with President Lincoln saying “Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” This is saying that our founding fathers came to America and started a new nation with liberty and the idea that all people are equal no matter what their skin color or race. Towards the middle of the Gettysburg Address President Lincoln recognized the soldiers who died on the Gettysburg battlefield (where they stood during the speech). He said that what the solders did must not be in vain. The Gettysburg Address has 272 words in it and took three minutes to present. President Lincoln noted that he was dizzy, light headed, and developed a vesicular rash on the day of the speech. It is debated that he had come down with a mild case of smallpox.