"An Oration Delivered on the Battlefield of Gettysburg."
- Creator(s):
- [Lincoln, Abraham]; Everett, Edward.
- Title:
- "An Oration Delivered on the Battlefield of Gettysburg."
- Description:
- In November 1863, four months after the battle at Gettysburg, President Lincoln spoke at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery, created to provide a proper burial for the fallen. Lincoln was not the main speaker of the day. That honor went to Edward Everett, a former senator and a celebrated orator. Lincoln spoke after Everett, and in only two minutes captured the transcendent significance of the war. He once again asserted that the United States was founded on liberty, equal rights, and self-government, and he honored those who had given their lives to prove that it could endure. Significantly, Lincoln described the country not as a union, but as a nation. Still focused on securing emancipation, he did not address how fully Black people might share in America’s promise. This is the earliest publication of the Gettysburg Address in book form.
- Source:
- Photograph by Vincent Dilio. Courtesy of David M. Rubenstein.
- Citation:
- [Lincoln, Abraham]; Everett, Edward. "An Oration Delivered on the Battlefield of Gettysburg". New York: Baker & Godwin, 1863.