In our era of dysfunctional government, the 272 words of Lincoln’s Gettyburg Address need to be not just heard, but studied for their deeper meaning. The purpose of Lincoln’s remarks was to dedicate the still unfinished Union cemetery at Gettysburg. Four months had passed since the battle, but the evidence of that historic trauma was everywhere. A stench of death, both human and equine, lingered in the air and the battlefield remained cruelly swollen by mounds of temporary graves covering bodies still awaiting re-burial at the formal site. Lincoln’s speech was not the central event of the day. The main oration for the occasion had been assigned to the distinguished Edward Everett, the former...
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