On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the most famous speeches in American history. The Gettysburg Address was given at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, just four months after the pivotal Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War.
Lincoln opened his speech with the iconic phrase 'Four score and seven years ago,' referring to 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was signed. This connected the Civil War to the founding principles of liberty and equality. By referencing eighty-seven years earlier, Lincoln reminded his audience that the nation was conceived with the revolutionary idea that all men are created equal.
Lincoln emphasized that the living could not consecrate the battlefield because the soldiers who died there had already hallowed it with their sacrifice. He humbly stated that the world would little note what was said that day, but could never forget what the brave men did on that battlefield. This powerful message honored the fallen while redirecting focus from words to deeds.
Lincoln then issued a powerful call to action, urging the living to dedicate themselves to the great task remaining before them. He emphasized that the soldiers must not have died in vain, and that the nation should experience a new birth of freedom under God. This transformed the speech from a memorial into a rallying cry for national renewal and the preservation of democratic ideals.
Lincoln concluded with his immortal vision of democracy: government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. Despite being only 272 words long, the Gettysburg Address became one of the greatest speeches in American history. It successfully redefined the Civil War's purpose from merely preserving the Union to creating a new birth of freedom, and articulated democratic ideals that continue to inspire people worldwide.