Edward Everett Speech At Gettysburg Address

The reason for President Lincoln writing and delivering the speech at Gettysburg, on November 19, 1863, is to commemorate the victims life that were taken during the battle at Gettysburg. “Lincoln was preceded on the podium by the famed orator Edward Everett, who spoke to the crowd for two hours.” (Gettysburg Address, Library of Congress) I was unaware that this event was more than the president giving a speech about a battle. This event was with President Lincoln speaking second after Edward Everett. This speech was delivered four months after the Union defeated the Confederacy in the battle of Gettysburg. This speech took place during the American Civil War. “ In just over two minutes, Lincoln reiterated the principles of human equality espoused
by the Declaration of Independence and proclaimed the Civil War as a struggle for the preservation of the Union sundered by the secession crisis, with "a new birth of freedom"that would bring true equality to all of its citizens.” (Gettysburg Address, Wikipedia, 2015) This was an extremely powerful speech that has impacted America from 1863 until today.