Greatest Speech in American History (Abe Lincoln's Gettysburg Address)

A Nation Conceived in Liberty and Equality00:00:09

Lincoln begins by recalling the nation's founding principles, stating that our fathers brought forth a new nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

The Great Trial of War00:00:28

He then addresses the ongoing Civil War as a test of whether a nation founded on such principles can long endure. The speech is delivered on the battlefield, where they have come to dedicate a portion as a final resting place for those who died to preserve the nation.

Hallowed Ground00:01:06

Lincoln avers that they cannot truly dedicate or consecrate the ground, as the brave men, living and dead, who struggled there have already consecrated it far beyond their power to add or detract.

The Unfinished Work00:01:30

He emphasizes that the world will remember the deeds of the soldiers, not the words spoken. It is up to the living to rededicate themselves to the unfinished work for which these soldiers fought. This involves taking increased devotion to the cause for which they gave their lives.

A New Birth of Freedom00:02:09

Lincoln concludes with a powerful resolution: that the fallen shall not have died in vain, that the nation will experience a new birth of freedom, and that a government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.