![]() There is an interesting urban legend that Lincoln scribbled the words of the Gettysburg Address on scraps of paper or the back of an envelope while on the train from Washington to Gettysburg. Lincoln’s words were immediately applauded as “immortal.” In contrast, when Lincoln rose to the speaker’s stand, he delivered his “few appropriate remarks” of only 272 words in just under two minutes. His eloquent oration was in the style of the day, with many a flourish of words, and it lasted two hours, which was not uncommon for that time. 8, and he didn’t accept the invitation until two weeks later, on Nov. Evidence indicates that Lincoln was somewhat undecided himself about speaking: he was mightily occupied with the ongoing war and his upcoming Annual Message to Congress (the 19th-century equivalent of the State of the Union address) on Dec. The event had been in planning since mid-July, and Lincoln’s invitation was issued only 17 days before it took place, while Everett had been invited to speak in early September. Not only was Lincoln thus advised that he was not the principal speaker, but the invitation itself appears to have been almost an afterthought. It is the desire that, after the Oration, You, as Chief Executive of the Nation, formally set apart these grounds to their Sacred use by a few appropriate remarks.” I am authorized by the Governor of the different States to invite You to be present, and participate in these Ceremonies, which will doubtless be very imposing and solemnly impressive. “These Grounds will be consecrated and set apart to this sacred purpose by appropriate Ceremonies, on Thursday, November the 19 th instant, - Hon. ![]() Event organizer David Wills, after consulting with Pennsylvania Governor Andrew Curtin, wrote the following note to Lincoln on Nov. It is interesting that President Lincoln was not actually invited to give a speech at the ceremony. ![]() It was given by President Abraham Lincoln not far from Frederick, Md., in Gettysburg, Pa., at the dedication of a soldier’s cemetery on a battlefield where 8,000 Civil War soldiers had died four months earlier. The result was the speech now considered the greatest American speech of the 20th century.Īnother speech, delivered one hundred years before King’s, has been declared the greatest speech in American history. When he sensed that his prepared speech was missing the mark, he resorted to the “dream” speech, which he had given several times previously, albeit not on the national stage. 28, 1963, during the celebrated March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom demonstration. In a recent article in the Poster, I mentioned that the words “I have a dream” are not to be found in the manuscript that Dr. Editor’s note: Because Presidents’ Day is celebrated in February, we are honoring one of our nation’s greatest presidents and most skillful communicators. ![]()
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