The Gettysburg Address was given to commemorate the Civil War battle there and the creation of a national cemetery on the battle ground for a final resting place for those who "gave the last full measure of devotion" there.
President Lincoln gave the address that day, but he wasn't the main speaker. That honor went to Senator Edward Everett, who spoke for two hours. (Can you believe it? TWO hours! There was no TV that day to limit the speech to a few seconds, and the speech was not considered all that long.) He was followed by "a few appropriate remarks" from the President. Everett later said that Lincoln "captured the spirit of the occasion better in two minutes than I did in two hours".
I can remember the 100th anniversary on the Gettysburg Address. I guess I'm getting old.
Posted 11/19/2013 05:44 am
