A Short Speech, Long Remembered

As Tuesday marked the 150th Anniversary of The Gettysburg Address, an estimated crowd of more than 9,000 people gathered in the chilly November breeze. Their purpose, to re-enact the historic event of hearing Lincoln’s words spoken live by James Getty, in his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln, on the same hallowed ground where the speech made its debut in 1863.

The short speech of 272 words, in which President Lincoln memorialized the suffering of the nation at the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the war and encouraged the citizens of the United States to apply themselves to the remembrance of lives lost. He also called upon them to be dedicated to what he referred to as the ‘unfinished work’ that still needed to be done to heal the nation so that the soldiers would not have given their lives in vain.

Tributes From Politicians and Scholars

Across the United States, more than 70,000 classrooms in K-12 schools, colleges, universities, museums and public libraries carried the live broadcast of the memorial event. Students, teachers, administrators, and visitors alike were able to watch the events unfold. They watched as scholars and politicians spoke of the legacy Lincoln left behind.

Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell, used Lincoln’s example to deliver a 272-word speech of her own remarking on his humble beginnings and many virtues. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett, spoke of Lincoln’s desire to heal and define the nation. He spoke in reverence of Lincoln as a man of simple words, deep faith, and profound genius.

Though he could not attend, President Obama sent a copy of his speech, read by Morgan Brooks, an African-American park ranger. She read the President’s words proclaiming Lincoln to be a ‘self-made man’ and praised his unique understanding of America. He spoke of visiting the room, which served as Lincoln’s office in the White House, and reading the immortal words of the Address in Lincoln’s own handwriting.

The State of the Union and New American Citizens

Keynote speaker and Pulitzer prize-winning historian, James McPherson, invoked Lincoln’s words, spoken to Congress in the first ever ‘annual meeting’, which later became known as the State of the Union address. He quoted, ‘this struggle is not altogether for today – it is for a vast future also,’ and that promise to struggle toward a better future has carried on from that day to this. As the event wound toward a close, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia administered the Oath of Allegiance to 16 people from various countries as they swore to ‘support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America’ and officially became United States citizens.

Words to Define a Nation

It seems a fitting tribute to create new Americans during a celebration of the Gettysburg Address. It is a story they can tell to their children and grandchildren, that on the day they became citizens, the nation was celebrating a speech which has served to define their new home for 150 years. A simple speech, just over two minutes in length, which forever changed a nation, and the way her citizens define their country. Though the Address included a line of self-deprecation ‘The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here’ in reality, it is a speech which has been known for well over a century as one of the greatest, most often recited, and most beloved speeches in American history.