Abraham Lincoln, "Nicolay Copy" of the Gettysburg Address, page 2, 1863

From Kaminski Handwriting Collection
Jump to: navigation, search

Abraham Lincoln, "Nicolay Copy" of the Gettysburg Address, page 2, 1863


[dedica-]ted to the great task remaining before us--
that, from these honored dead we take in-
creased devotion to that cause for which
they here, gave the last full measure of de-
votion--that we here highly resolve these
dead shall not have died in vain; that
the nation, shall have a new birth of free-
dom, and that government of the people by
the people for the people, shall not pre-
ish from the earth.



Author

Abraham Lincoln
Manuscript title
"Nicolay Copy" of the Gettysburg Address, 1863
Note
"This document represents the earliest known of the five drafts of what may be the most famous American speech. Delivered by President Abraham Lincoln in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, at the dedication of a memorial cemetery on November 19, 1863, it is now familiarly known as the “Gettysburg Address.” Drawing inspiration from his favorite historical document, the Declaration of Independence, Lincoln equated the catastrophic suffering caused by the Civil War with the efforts of the American people to live up to “the proposition that ’all men are created equal.’” This document is presumed to be the only working, or pre-delivery, draft and is commonly identified as the Nicolay Copy because it was once owned by John George Nicolay, Lincoln’s private secretary. The first page is on White House (then Executive Mansion) stationery, lending strong support to the theory that it was drafted in Washington, D.C. But the second page is on what has been loosely described as foolscap, suggesting that Lincoln was not fully satisfied with the final paragraph of the Address and rewrote that passage in Gettysburg, on November 19, while staying at the home of Judge David Wills." [1]
Date
1863
Size
x cm x xcm; x in x x in
Penmanship Style
Collection
Abraham Lincoln. "Nicolay Copy" of the Gettysburg Address, 1863. Holograph manuscript. Page 2. Manuscript Division, Library of Congress Digital ID# al0186p2[2]
File name
Lincoln Abraham 18xx-001-001-0xx
Links related to


Abraham Lincoln Nicolay Copy Gettysburg Address page 2 1863.jpg