One of the most famous speeches ever written in the history of the US, the Gettysburg Address was delivered by the sixteenth president of the United States of America -- Abraham Lincoln.

The speech was delivered in Gettysburg, Virginia, where a great battle of the Civil War was fought, and won by Union forces. The purpose of the speech was to offer a dedication for the new Soldier's National Cemetery at this location.

The speech was delivered on November 19, 1863, and the Civil War was still in progress. Lincoln was not the primary speaker for the occasion; a man named Edward Everett provided a two-hour speech, just before Lincoln got up to share his message. One of the things that makes Lincoln's speech so remarkable is that he was able to say so much in far less time than Everett's long oration; the Gettysburg Address lasted about 2 minutes.

One of the great ironies of Lincoln's speech is that in his speech he claimed that people would not remember for very long what was said that day.

Lincoln was feeling ill when he delivered the Gettysburg Address; doctors later diagnosed him with a mild case of smallpox. It makes the speech all the more impressive to know that Lincoln rode to Gettysburg to deliver it even when feeling quite ill with smallpox.

1.

What was the purpose of Lincoln's speech?

2.

Suppose you were the man who delivered a two-hour speech before Lincoln's two-minute speech. How do you think you would feel about Lincoln's speech?

3.

Why is it ironic that Lincoln said people wouldn't remember what was said that day?

4.

Suppose you were scheduled to make an important speech, but you were very sick. Would you give the speech? Or would you stay home?