The Gettysburg Address: Lincoln’s Most Famous Speech – clip

Louis Masur / Rutgers University

It is the most famous speech Abraham Lincoln ever gave, and one of the most important orations in the history of the nation. Delivered on November 19, 1863, among the freshly dug graves of the Union dead, the Gettysburg Address defined the central meaning of the Civil War and gave cause for the nation’s incredible suffering. The poetic language and moral sentiment inspired listeners at the time and have continued to resonate powerfully with groups and individuals up to the present day.