Abraham Lincoln, "Hay Draft" of the Gettysburg Address, page 1, 1863

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Abraham Lincoln, "Hay Draft" of the Gettysburg Address, page 1, 1863


Four score and seven years ago our fathers
brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, con-
ceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition
that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, test-
ing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived,
and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met
here on a great battle-field of that war. We have
come to dedicate a portion of it as a final rest-
ing place for these who here gave their lives that
that nation might live. It is altogether fitting
and proper that we should do this.

But in a larger sense we can not dedicate--
we can not consecrate--we can not hallow this
ground. The brave men, living and dead, who strug-
gled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power
to add or detract. The world will little note,
nor long remember what we say here, but
can never forget what they did here. It is
for us, the living, rather to be dedicated
here to the unfinished work which they have,
thus far, so nobly carried on. It is rather





Author

Abraham Lincoln
Manuscript title
"Hay Draft" of the Gettysburg Address, 1863
Note
"The second draft of the Gettysburg Address, probably made by Lincoln shortly after his return to Washington from Gettysburg, was given to his secretary John Hay, whose descendants donated both it and the Nicolay copy to the Library of Congress in 1916. There are numerous variations in words and punctuation between these two drafts. Because these variations provide clues to Lincoln’s thinking and because these two drafts are the most closely tied to November 19, they continue to be consulted by scholars of the period." [1]
Date
1863
Size
x cm x xcm; x in x x in
Penmanship Style
Collection
Abraham Lincoln. "Hay Draft" of the Gettysburg Address, 1863. Manuscript. Page 1. John Hay Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress Digital ID # cw0127p1 [2]
File name
Lincoln Abraham 18xx-001-001-0xx
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Abraham Lincoln Hay Draft Gettysburg Address page 1 1863.jpg