The government of the people

It was in November of 1863 at a small Pennsylvania town called Gettysburg that President Lincoln delivered a short speech, only 271 words. (This column is three times longer!)

The great Republican president’s speech came to be called The Gettysburg Address.

After the tragic battle four months before, Lincoln exhorted his audience to resolve “that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” Powerful words, from an iconic president.