American History
The United States will celebrate the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address on 19 November 2013. A solemn ceremony will take place at the nation’s first national cemetary in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on that day.
There were more than 51,000 Union and Confederate casualties in the Battle of Gettysburg, one of the American Civil War’s bloodiest battles.
A suitable plot of land was set aside in which to bury the fallen warriors.
Gettysburg Address
At its dedication, President Lincoln gave his historic speech, which famously began,”Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”
Somewhat ironically, Lincoln went on to say, “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here …”
And yet his speech went on to become one of the most famous – and oft quoted – speeches in the English language.
“The soldiers at Gettysburg suffered greatly after the battle, as did the townspeople, and the dedication ceremony in 1863 gave them hope and reminded them to never forget the legacy of those who lost their lives here, just as our Dedication Day does today,” says Norris Flowers, president of the Gettysburg Convention & Visitors Bureau.