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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.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.


You should all recognize those words, spoken 144 years ago today by President Abraham Lincoln on the hallowed ground of Gettysburg battlefield as he dedicated the cemetary there. 272 words long, it lasted a mere two minutes.

You can see images of the address in Lincoln's own handwriting here:

http://www.historyplace.com/civilwar/cw ... ress-1.jpg

and here:

http://www.historyplace.com/civilwar/cw ... ress-2.jpg




Dawn
From many... One.

simply an amazing speech.

Thanks, keep these historic posts up! I tend to forget to look up "this day in history" too often!

Amazing speech, goes to show its not the length that makes a speech great. One of the best in our history, along with FDR's after Pearl Harbor.

wang_chi7 wrote:Thanks, keep these historic posts up! I tend to forget to look up "this day in history" too often!

Amazing speech, goes to show its not the length that makes a speech great. One of the best in our history, along with FDR's after Pearl Harbor.

Edward Everett spoke for two hours(!) before Lincoln spoke. It was probably a good thing Lincoln's was short. But the shortness of his speech made it difficult for the photographers to get photos of him actually delivering the speech. Did you see the recent announcement of finding two new pictures of Lincoln at Gettysburg?



Dawn
From many... One.

nice post Dawn

Lincoln was a president at a very hard time in history.

My dad is a huge Civil War book in fact based on the
Diary of a Civil War solider.

I went to Fords theater on my son's oldest 8th Grade
trip and sat in the front row about 40 feet from where
he was shot. We also went across the street where he was taken
afterwards.

What a cool post -- not just a reminder of the words of the Address, but the fact that it was said seven score and four years ago.

Thanks, Dawn.

Always one of my favorites.

7 score and 4 years ago. A score is 20 years.

Great post, but you may want to edit the topic title.

Minniman wrote:7 score and 4 years ago. A score is 20 years.

Great post, but you may want to edit the topic title.

I didn't even think of it until Dan's post. 70 score and 4 years would have been in 603. On that particular date, well I don't know what happened. Nothing that I know of happened on that year of note!

Minniman wrote:7 score and 4 years ago. A score is 20 years.

Great post, but you may want to edit the topic title.

Okay, so math wasn't my best subject!



Dawn

DeeEss57 wrote:
Okay, so math wasn't my best subject!



Dawn

You don't need math to appreciate this: today is RFK's birthday. And later in the week, we have the birthday of an even greater man. I won't identify him, but he would be turning 375 years old on Saturday.

DanAS1 wrote: You don't need math to appreciate this: today is RFK's birthday. And later in the week, we have the birthday of an even greater man. I won't identify him, but he would be turning 375 years old on Saturday.

You peaked my interests so I had to look it up, and now I remember that you at least used to post on him pretty often. I won't reveal the man you're talking about, though I don't think most would know who he is anyways!

DanAS1 wrote:You don't need math to appreciate this: today is RFK's birthday. And later in the week, we have the birthday of an even greater man. I won't identify him, but he would be turning 375 years old on Saturday.

“There cannot be greater rudeness than to interrupt another in the current of his discourse.”

So, I'll let you finish.

Minniman wrote: “There cannot be greater rudeness than to interrupt another in the current of his discourse.”

So, I'll let you finish.

Right birth year, Minniman. Wrong philosopher. But the man you quoted (Mr. Locke, who was born in August of 1632) was a great admirer of the birthday boy.

Another legend born in 1632, by the way, was Vermeer -- in the same country as our birthday boy.

DanAS1 wrote:

Right birth year, Minniman. Wrong philosopher. But the man you quoted (Mr. Locke, who was born in August of 1632) was a great admirer of the birthday boy.

Another legend born in 1632, by the way, was Vermeer -- in the same country as our birthday boy.

Spinoza?

Oddly appropriate for this message board sometimes *grin*:

"The world would be happier if men had the same capacity to be silent that they have to speak.”