Widely considered one of the greatest orations in American history, the Gettysburg Address was written and delivered by US President Abraham Lincoln in November 1863—the height of America’s Civil War. The short speech honored soldiers who died during the recent, pivotal Battle of Gettysburg, when Union forces turned back an invasion by the Confederate Army. The speech also called on US citizens to rededicate themselves to freedom and equality for all Americans. Lincoln made several copies of the speech during and after its writing; the Bliss version, considered the standard, is widely available and is the basis for this study guide.

The address begins by noting that, 87 years earlier, the founders of the United States established a new country based on freedom and equality, but that the nation is now wracked by civil war, placing its survival in doubt.

Lincoln states that it is appropriate to dedicate a new cemetery near the town of Gettysburg to the remains of soldiers who died there fighting for the US cause. This ceremony, however, cannot add much to the consecration of a battleground already supremely sanctified by the sacrifices of those who perished during the fighting. History will remember not the cemetery’s dedication ceremony, but the deeds of those men. Instead, the true cause of the people gathered there is to rededicate themselves to the great, unfinished work of America, which is to ensure freedom for all under a government controlled by its citizens.