The Gettysburg Address

President Abraham Lincoln delivered an iconic speech in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, at the dedication of a military cemetery on November 19, 1863. In his brief remarks, now known as "The Gettysburg Address," Lincoln equated the catastrophic suffering caused by the Civil War with the efforts of the American people to live up to the proposition that "all men are created equal." This document featured here is presumed to be the only working, or pre-delivery, draft and is commonly identified as the "Nicolay Copy" because it was once owned by John George Nicolay, Lincoln's private secretary. The Library has two copies of the Address written in Lincoln's hand. This one was on view as part of The Civil War in America exhibition (Fall 2013). For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=6240