Gettysburg Address in the Classroom
Using Lincoln’s Famous Speech as an Aid to Civil War History
Nov 10, 2009
“Fourscore and seven years ago…” These five words are the beginning of one of the most famous and well-known presidential speeches ever made. The year 2009 is the bicentennial of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. It is the centennial of the introduction of the Lincoln Penny (100 Years of the Lincoln Penny ). November 19th is the anniversary date for the Gettysburg Address.
Background History of the Gettysburg Address
In July of 1863, Union and Confederate soldiers fought what became known as the Battle of Gettysburg. During the battle, roughly 51,000 Union and Confederate soldiers were captured, wounded, or killed. In November of that same year, President Abraham Lincoln traveled to Gettysburg and spoke at the dedication ceremony of a new cemetery for the Union dead. The speech he gave allowed Lincoln to honor those who had given their lives and present his thoughts concerning the war as a battle to provide freedom and equality for all citizens.
There are five known manuscript copies of the Gettysburg address in existence. According to John Nicolay, one of the President’s private secretaries, the first part of the speech was written at the White House and a second half was written by Mr. Lincoln in pencil shortly before the dedication. There was a second draft that was probably written after the President returned to Washington which he gave to John Hay, his other private secretary. Because of numerous word and punctuation differences between these two drafts, it may never be known for sure which was the actual address given by Lincoln.
The other three drafts were written by the President well after he returned to Washington and were generated for other individuals at the dedication.
Classroom Activities
Teachers can use the Gettysburg Address in a multitude of ways for various purposes depending upon the age and abilities of students.
- 21st Century News Broadcast. Even though Lincoln’s speech ran less than 300 words, it might not have appeared in its entirety on today’s news programs. Have students create a broadcast segment with appropriate sound bites from the address. Which parts would reporters today clip for the news? Why?
- It could be an English or speech class project. Have students look at the first and second drafts. Why did Lincoln make the changes he did? Was it for better grammar, clarity of ideas, or for political purposes?
- Have the school hire a Lincoln impersonator (there are many of them) to give the speech to the entire student body. Many of these impersonators have recreated the clothing of the time period and are also very knowledgeable of Lincoln’s life and times. They can bring history alive for students. To find a Lincoln impersonator simply go to a favorite search engine and type “Lincoln impersonator state” and a list of links will appear. The word "state" is the state in which the school resides.
- Have students discuss differences and similarities between the way President Lincoln used his speeches to make political statements and the way President Obama uses his speech making opportunities.
- Depending on local weather conditions and availability check for nearby Civil War re-enactments. Have students interview the soldiers/re-enactors and get their (soldiers) impression of the speech.
The Library of Congress website is an excellent source of materials. It provides information and additional links about this pivotal moment in the history of the United States and about President Lincoln. There are links to historical background about the Gettysburg address but also links to other Lincoln materials, photos, and even a link describing the physical process used to help preserve this famous document.
While the speech is traditionally presented during February for Lincoln’s birthday or Presidents’ Day, discussing it in November can be justified easily as this is the month when it was actually given.
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