Four Score and Seven Years Ago Quiz

Answer:

President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address on 19 November 1863, at the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, PA, following the Union victory at the Battle of Gettysburg. Although it was not even scheduled as the main speech of the meeting, Lincoln's 271-word address became one of the most influential statements in America's national history. It emphasised the nation's founding principles of liberty and equality and framed the Civil War as a test of whether these ideals could endure. Lincoln urged the nation to honour the sacrifices of those who died and to ensure that government remained "of the people, by the people, for the people".

Lincoln, who had felt unwell on his journey to Gettysburg the previous day, looked pale and ill as he delivered the address. After the speech, Lincoln's health deteriorated rapidly. As he boarded the train back to Washington, he showed symptoms of illness, including fever, weakness and a severe headache. Lincoln was later diagnosed with a mild case of smallpox, and it is likely that he delivered the Gettysburg Address while experiencing the first symptoms of the disease.

Modern scholars debate the exact wording of Lincoln's speech, as various contemporary transcriptions and handwritten copies differ in wording, punctuation and structure. Lincoln wrote four drafts, which he distributed to his private secretaries. Realising that they were unusable, Lincoln wrote a fifth version, today known as the "Bliss Copy" after its recipient, Colonel Alexander Bliss. This draft, meticulously prepared and titled by Lincoln himself, bears his signature and date. Considered the definitive version, it is prominently engraved on the south wall of the Lincoln Memorial and serves as the primary source for reproductions of the Gettysburg Address.

Reaction to Lincoln's speech was split along party lines. Democrat-leaning publications, such as the "Chicago Times", disparaged it as "silly" and "dishwater", while Republican-leaning newspapers, such as the "New York Times" praised it. "The Springfield Republican" in Massachusetts praised it as a "perfect gem" worthy of further study.

Today, the Gettysburg Address remains a cornerstone of American history and culture. It is one of the most famous speeches in American history, often included in school curricula and referenced in popular culture. Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered at the Lincoln Memorial, alludes to Lincoln's words and highlights their lasting impact on civil rights movements and the collective quest for justice and equality.