150th Anniversary of the Gettysburg Address

Seven score and 10 years ago today, President Abraham Lincoln arrived in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, four months after the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. That day, November 19, 1863, he delivered the Gettysburg Address consecrating the hallowed grounds before him, "with a faraway look in his eyes as if appealing from the few thousands before him to the invisible audience of countless millions whom his words were to reach.”  Perhaps the best known speech in American history, documentarian Ken Burns has called it "one of the most important declarations ever made on human equality."

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, Burns is creating a documentary about boys at Greenwood School in Vermont who memorize and recite the Address to challenge themselves personally, academically, and socially. In conjunction, Burns is challenging every American to recite the Address and share a recording of themselves. He has already recorded many leading politicians, musicians, comedians, actors, business leaders, and more, and created "The Address Mashup" below.

 

Part of Burns' effort is to consider the relevance of the Gettysburg Address today. What does it say about human rights and equality, as it hearkens back to the "Liberty, and...proposition that all men are created equal" of the Declaration of Independence? As we also honor the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s I Have A Dream speech, what do the two speeches mean to our generation? Share your reactions to the video and these questions in the Comments section below.