An original edition of the Gettysburg Address will go on display for a limited time this month at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, the only place in America where the public can regularly see Lincoln’s most famous speech written in his own hand.
The speech will be displayed Nov. 6-22. To give more people the opportunity to experience this powerful document, admission to the museum will be free on Nov. 19, the 163rd anniversary of Lincoln delivering the speech at a military cemetery in Gettysburg, Pa.
Admission will also be free for veterans on Nov. 11 to mark Veterans Day.
The ALPLM will present a version of the address for people with visual impairments starting Nov. 17, letting them feel raised lettering and push buttons to trigger descriptions and information about the speech. ALPLM historians will host free Q&A sessions exploring the history and lasting impact of the Gettysburg Address at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 18, 19 and 20.
The Gettysburg Address is one of the most famous speeches ever given. Its stirring prose and historic impact have been studied by everyone from schoolchildren to scholars.
“In just a few short minutes, Abraham Lincoln offered the nation a path forward – one dedicated to liberty and equality,” said Christina Shutt, executive director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. “Seeing his carefully crafted words in his own handwriting reminds us that liberty and unity are not abstract ideals. They are responsibilities we inherit and must protect.”
Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address on Nov. 19, 1863, at the dedication of a national cemetery for the thousands of Union soldiers killed at the Battle of Gettysburg. It opens with the famous phrase “Four score and seven years ago” and finishes by describing the Civil War as a battle to preserve government “of the people, by the people, for the people.”
Only five handwritten copies of the Gettysburg Address still exist. In addition to the ALPLM’s copy, one is in the White House, one is at Cornell University and two are at the Library of Congress. Those institutions rarely exhibit their copies to the general public. The ALPLM, however, displays its copy each year around the anniversary of Lincoln delivering the speech.
Also at the museum during the display of the address is the special exhibit, “The Second American Revolution.” It traces the efforts to rebuild America after the Civil War to match Lincoln’s vision and then document the backlash that gave rise to Jim Crow laws and decades of oppression. It includes historic pieces such as the pen Lincoln used to sign the Emancipation Proclamation, Ku Klux Klan paraphernalia and a chair from Ford’s Theatre, where Lincoln was assassinated.
For those unable to visit in person, the ALPLM’s website offers an interactive, in-depth look at the Gettysburg Address, its history, and how it differs from other versions. The site also provides educational resources for teachers and parents, a photo gallery, and links to additional information: www.PresidentLincoln.Illinois.gov/GettysburgAddress.
The State of Illinois has owned this edition of the address, known as the Everett Copy, since 1944, when the state’s children helped raise money to buy it from private owners.
“The Gettysburg Address belongs to the people of Illinois because schoolchildren made it possible,” said Dr. Ian Patrick Hunt, chief of acquisitions and special projects at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. “In the middle of World War II, students across the state collected their pennies to bring Lincoln’s words home. That act of unity and self-sacrifice ensured this national treasure would be preserved for all.”
The mission of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is to inspire civic engagement through the diverse lens of Illinois history and share with the world the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. We pursue this mission through a combination of rigorous scholarship and high-tech showmanship built on the bedrock of the ALPLM’s unparalleled collection of historical materials – roughly 13 million items from all eras of Illinois history.
For more information, visit www.PresidentLincoln.illinois.gov. You can follow the ALPLM on Facebook, X/Twitter and Instagram.
