The Gettysburg Address

What happened

At the dedication of the soldiers' cemetery at Gettysburg, Lincoln delivered a brief speech of roughly 270 words. In it he cast the war as a test of whether a nation 'conceived in liberty' and dedicated to human equality could endure, and called for 'a new birth of freedom.'

Why it matters

Little noticed at the time, the Gettysburg Address became one of the most revered statements of American democratic ideals ever spoken.

Sources

• Library of Congress. The Gettysburg Address · Primary source