This is the apparent site of the Gettysburg Address made on November 19, 1863. The short speech is one of the most famous of all of Lincoln’s speeches, and one which is still taught to American schoolchildren today. It begins with ‘Four score and seven years ago’, which frames the writers of the Constitution’ and leads listeners get a short history of our nation.
The crowd was small, but Lincoln spoke quietly and with no microphone, so many did not hear his words. A cousin of mine was reported to be 25 feet away and only heard snippets of the speech. The young man was so short he could not see over the bodies and stovepipe hats which were the fashion of the times.
Compared to today’s fashions, the men wore black suits and hats and might have been frozen stiff in the cold.
For additional art, click on Collections buttons for drop-down menus