Communications. Charters proud to be recognized as one of the best internet providers. Were just getting started. Building 100,000 miles of new infrastructure to reach those who need it most. Charter communications, along with these Television Companies, supports cspan 2 as a public service. Now, on American History tv, we continue our special series on speeches that define a presidency. Y this week, a look at the 1863 gettysburg address. Now, it was only three minutes and length, it proclaimed a new birth of freedom that to find Abraham Lincolns legacy in so many ways. Youll hear an actor read the entire gettysburg address. That is followed by a discussion on its historical significance. This begins now. Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now, we are engaged in a great civil war. Testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field at the final resting place for those who gave their lives, that that nation might live. Its all fitting and probably should do this. In a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate. We cannot how low this ground. The brave men living, who struggled here and consecrated far above our power to add or detract. The world will longer member what we say here, it can never forget what they did here. Its for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far saw nobly advance. Its rather for us to be here, dedicated to the great task remaining before us. From these honored dead, we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last measure of devotion. That we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under god shell have a new birth of freedom. That government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth. Thank you, john. It is no exaggeration that the gettysburg address has been red or recited millions upon millions of times. Each time its read or heard, even now, more than a century and a half after was written and delivered, it still inspires. Its still moves us to the core, it still makes us introspective. Its transcends and takes us to new levels of hope and possibility. Many consider the gettysburg address to be Abraham Lincolns greatest speech. Who would be difficult to argue otherwise. You might ask yourself, what could he have written that possibly rivaled it . And while he would be good to stand your ground where youd argue your case for the gettysburg address, other scholars lincoln and the easiest and historians might argue that Lincoln Union speech or his second inaugural might be even greater. As you probably know, lincolns Cooper Union Speech was delivered about two miles south of here at the Cooper Institute which is now known as the cooper union. It was a speech which in part launched Abraham Lincolns political career and the broader national stage. The speech delivered in february of 1860, when our nation was on the brink of civil war, it brought us the often quoted word, let us have faith that right makes might. In that, let us to the end, they are to do our duty as we understand it. Lincolns second inaugural address, which has been engraved at the Lincoln Memorial on the wall opposite the gettysburg address was delivered in march of 1865 as the civil war was nearing its conclusion. Its that our nation on the course for postwar reconstruction. As lincoln called upon our ancestors and all of us, even to this day, to move forward with charity for all. He set a tone which was not punitive and vengeful but rather peaceful and visionary. There is no doubt that to lincolns three most famous addresses, the cooper union second inaugural and gettysburg, are among his greatest. And in the end the debate over which is the greatest becomes more subjective than objective. But perhaps what makes the gettysburg address much more frequently cut quoted were cited or emirate can be attributed both to its contents and interestingly enough its length. It is a 272 word, 2 to 3 minute masterpiece. In which lane can set our nation on a course for a new verse of freedom. One that we are still working on to perfect today. Back in 2012 we have the Abraham Lincoln president ial library and museum, and our foundation, were looking for a way to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the gettysburg address. We wanted to do something out of the ordinary, something special. Naturally our first thought was to put the document on display. That usually is enough. But wanted to take it a step beyond. There are only five copies of the gettysburg address in lincolns own hands. Two of the copies are as the library of congress. Those were the two drops he admitted to prior delivering the address. But another that he wrote post address is that at Cornell University and another is in the white house in the lincoln room. And then the other one is the everetts copy. And that is at our museum and library in springfield, illinois. The are copy of the address was written after it was it was the one that was britain immediately after his delivery of it and it was requested to write out by Edward Everett who was the keynote speaker at gettysburg on that day. And as we probably all remember he spoke for about two and a half hours to lincolns two and a half minutes. Everett asked president lincoln to write it out so that he could put it in a book for to auction off or convalescing soldiers which lincoln gladly obliged him. When a document is as famous and revered as they gettysburg address it does seem like putting it on display should be enough. But we came up with the idea of a 272 word challenge. The 272 words is the exact number in the gettysburg address. And while lincoln did not set out to write 272 words, he didnt say today im gonna write a 272 word masterpiece that will transcend the generations, we thought it was a wonderful way that if we challenge people to write their own 272 words, that they might become more intimately tied to the address and really understands how difficult it is to be brilliance in 272 words. Let alone be brilliant than any time. So we challenged people and as part of the challenge, essayists could write about Abraham Lincoln, gettysburg, the gettysburg address or something that some cause a related topic that is their passion. We had no clue what response we would receive but we were hoping to receive enough there when a bill to put some out an mna display with the gettysburg address on the 150th. But when the news of the challenge started to spread, we found ourselves doing more than our share of explaining. That the point of the project was not to top the gettysburg address, or to write as well as president lincoln, but rather to celebrate the man in his work. We first turn to gilder lehrman, lincoln prize recipient, to see if he would help us launch the project by writing his own 272 words. And he wrote back an email, and he said wow, who could be as the sink and in parentheses, brilliant, as Abraham Lincoln . And our answer of course was well, harold, no one on the planet except for those possibly who lived by the and are used to writing far less. But harold was not daunted. And in a few days we received it almost only seem like a few, minutes we had heralds 270 towards which i would like to share with you now. His essay was titled, long remembered. Provide the essence of these gettysburg address in 272 words. Quite a challenge, for well lincoln used but two sheets of paper to compose, as historians have slaughtered entire forests to expound on it. Yet the glittering essence of lincoln, perhaps americas greatest speech is its magnificent economy. Invited to deliver only a few appropriate remarks, lincoln summit they were tore occult is a plan that revolutionized political oratory. Replaced the traditionally with a new birth of simplicity and made a virtue of brevity. Of course i can memorize this length, does not begin to explain its enduring magic. It reinvents america as some have claimed. Probably not. Weve come a long way in the quest to complete lincolns unfinished work. But no one can say for certain whether if he returned to a legacy he might conclude we have traveled too fast or too slowly. On the opposite side of the analytical coin, was the gettysburg address meant to be more than a subtle declaration of its authors intention to seek a second term as president . Too simplistic, too. And much too cynical. Then what . In his heart, Abraham Lincoln understood that gettysburg was a place of death. From which america itself needed to summon rebirth or die as well. The air in lies extremists and relevance. Lincoln made one colossal error in the gettysburg address. Suggesting the world with little note and long. Remember he was too modest, maybe even disingenuous. He wrote his speech with such breathtaking ingenuity that he surely meant it too long endure. And so it has. So that is heralds 272 words. And when we received this we, thought what we are on our way and if we had any doubts that we were not, that maybe something would not take off, all of the sudden express mail envelope came to the door. And when opening, it we pulled a piece of white stationary and it was bearing a censored figure of an eagle. And it was outlined in blue with four stars, descending down the length of its neck. And there was a name also in blue just under eight. In big all caps. And it was from jimmy carter. He had decided that he would write his 272 words. Now immediately, working at a museum with very valuable artifacts we knew that we probably should be putting on the white curators gloves. But we were too excited. And we just picked it up. And started reading. And i would like to share his essay with you now. It is a magnificent essay. Bear with me while i get to it. But he is with simply called gettysburg address. When i began talks at camp david between israel and egypt, it soon became obvious that the two leaders were almost completely incompatible. For three days, i try to induce them to negotiate in good faith but they were always diverted into expressing ancient antagonism. For the last ten days of discussion, i kept them completely apart with them living in separate cabins. As the first sunday approached i tried to think of something that would divert our minds in the middle east arguments. And focus our attention on something that was completely removed from our concentrated work. Finally, my wife suggested that we might drive to the nearby civil war site at gettysburg. We made the necessary travel arrangements for the cabinet officers and staff members, from the two delegations, and i wrote in the president ial limousine sitting between once they are everyone except the israeli Prime Minister was thoroughly familiar with the battlefield and what had occurred. Theyre having studied it in our military school. I showed them where the george artillery had been and recounted the terrible casualties on both sides. I soon noticed that but never served in the military was deserving lee aloof. He was a proud man and i was afraid he would be both embarrassed and angry. The group became silent when the guide announced that we were at the spot of lincolns address. After a few moments, began to recite the words in a clear and strong voice. And we listened with rapt attention. It was my most unforgettable event at a memorial to war. So, you can imagine. I mean, we were very moved when he received this. And we were touched that he not only chose to participate in our project, but from what he wrote we realize that we were probably some of the first people ever to hear that story. Certainly some of the first to ever read it. We knew immediately that the contents of the essay was a of deep historic significance. And we realize that we were no longer failing in histories wake as we usually do at the museum. Because we are getting other peoples are the facts that are 150 years old. But rather than sailing in historys wake, we were making history. And which each document that came we were making history. We ended up getting essays from all the living president s. And they are all in the book. They are for you to read it another time. Another interesting thing about president carters essay was that he typed it to himself on his own typewriter. No, it is not just that he tempted himself. It wasnt a typewriter. This was only a year ago. So i am sure his staff must have had a computer. He may even have had a computer. But he is a typewriter. And it was very clear it was on a typewriter. Which brings me to another aspect of the project. In addition to challenging people to write 272 words, we challenge them to walk further in lincolns shoes, and hand write to their essays. Because obviously there were no computers. Back in 1863. Some people did it. Others chose to type it out, and then signed their names to its. But the actual we learned that the actual act of having two hand write essays out was a challenge in and of itself. And for some of our essayists they said that was actually more stressful than having to compose 272 brilliant words. Because by the time they got towards 253 they invariably made a mistake, and we have to start over writing it from scratch. One person actually said it was a humiliating experience. And we got a call one day from general Colin Powells office. And they said, do you mind if general powell prince out his essay by hand . And we said, well who are way to tell general powell what to do i mean, if he wants to print it out, by all means print it. Cursive was not going over too well so he printed it. And in a few days, we received Colin Powells essay. And i would like to share that with you now. It is titled, the march must continue. In november of 2013, three months after commemorating the 50th anniversary of dr. Martin luther king junior years i have a dream speech, we commemorated the 150th anniversary of president lincoln, president lincolns gettysburg address. A century after lincoln spoke of the unfinished work, and that this nation under god will have a new universe of freedom, it fell to dr. Cain to remind us, america, that the work was not finished. And lincolns vision not yet realized for all americans. During that century we saw the rise of segregation and the fiction that separate but equal could actually be equal. A second civil war was needed. It was a war of protest. It would be a war of ideas. Morals. And aspirations. It would be a war to make america live up to the dreams of our forefathers. As lincoln procreate proclaimed in four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Dr. Kang reaffirmed these hopes in his i have a dream speech. The gettysburg address and i have a dream have gone down in history as the most inspirational speeches in American History. I am proud of my country and all we have done to reelect these visions. Both men would be pleased, but not satisfied. Both men were fascinated for their belief. Assassinated for their beliefs. We are there inheritors, we much stew more than commemorate the dates and be warm by their words. We must reach out to those in need so that we all can be free at last. The march must continue. So, as you can see we were very fortunate in receiving essays from some very powerful individuals. The essays themselves were powerful. We received essays from people from all walks of life. From high school students, as i said, two u. S. President s. From filmmakers such a stevensville bergen can burns, searches oconnor, alan dershowitz, and judith stein, lynn otherwise known as george judy. From Corporate Leaders such as Google Eric Schmidt and caterpillars poets such as Billy Collins and kevin stein. Sailors from the uss Abraham Lincoln, and musical visual artist such as and any leibowitz. Speaker says the gettysburg address written out in his own hands. In a different format. And he said, you know i am 94. So im not going to be composing anything right now. But im going to write it out for you, the gettysburg address, the way i have helped people over the years learn to recite it. So that is what he sent to us. And any leibowitz sent us, she said, you know i am not a writer. I can photograph. So she sent us some photo essays that we included in the book. Particularly the one of Daniel Chester french, who was a sculptor for the Lincoln Memorial. She was on his duty and so she took a picture of the model. And thats what we have in the book. But many of our other essayist spoke of their own personal experiences and their family heritage. Julian vonn, the late julian vonn, wrote for us an essay that reminds us that only a few generations separate us from slavery. And he wrote a very eloquent essay. And it will wreak some of it for you. Only my fathers generation stands between julian ivan and human bondage. I am the grand son of a slave. He and his mother were property. Like a chair or a horse. At 15, barely able to read and write, my grandfather hitched his tuition to a rope and walked across kentucky to college. His was a transcendent generation of black americans, born in slavery, freed by Abraham Lincoln. And determined to make their way in freedom. When he graduated, the college asked him to deliver the commencement address. And he said, the pessimist from his corner looks out on the world of wickedness and sin and blinded by all that is good or hopeful in the condition in progress of the human race, he wails the present state of affairs and predicts woeful things for the future. In every cloud he beholds a destructive storm and in every shot of that falls across his path, a lurking foe. He forgets that the clouds also bring lie it, hope that lightning purifies the atmosphere. That shadow and darkness prepare for sunshine and growth. And that hardships and adversity serve as the for greater and grander victories. Here is to greater and greater victories. So, these gettysburg replies i have shared and a few more that i will share our reveler tory on many levels. One is that 150 years after lincolns death he still is relevant. He, through his actions and words, still leads and guides us to this day. Which is why people go off and so often ask themselves in board rooms and classrooms, congresses and chat rooms, even sometimes in the back hallways of churches, mosques and synagogues, what would lincoln do . One of the things he did was right thoughtful, eloquent speeches which to this day, word upon, word sentence upon scientist, we contemplate our actions, our responsibilities to better understand what rat has befallen us or what blessings have been bestowed upon us from the siege we have thrown as a nation in the world. As Nikki Giovanni so unsightly pointed out in her essay, our nation forgets the waves of grain were not there because they natives were there, im sorry, because they natives had managed, not ravaged, the land. There was no dust bowl. There were no other control wildfires. No dead fish floating in polluted waters. The shame of destroying those peoples arms to bear. And Professor Robert gray, he also pointed this out as he wrote about a cause which concern him. The care and protection of our planet. In his essay, validation to earth, on the occasion of the great leaving, great panda futuristic and fatalistic warning. Today is the day we hope we never come. Yet the time is here. Now we must leave the earth forever. We dare not call it our earth for when it was ours, we did not love her she loves us. Nor did we return her nurture in kind. And so as we board our small fleet of starships, we the last million or so of our kind must humbly pray to our unknown god that are tragic mistakes of war and great and vanity, though theyre painful memory can go with us into the void. It will not be fatally reenacted on our long voyage dither. Or in our new homes should be fined one wherever that may be in the vast cosmos. We must believe we have learned our final failure on earth was not one of freedom, but that responsibility. Freedom, a mighty good in itself, became license, and license became a consuming fire, and that fire became our holocaust. Again we must beg forgiveness of the earth. She can no longer sustain us and nor should she. If you are perishing and against her. But left herself, she may be able, in good time, to heal herself. Our atonements must consist in doing better if allowed the chance. We are the relics of a colossal failure and the deep universe does not care whether we continue to exist. We alone can care. Where shall we live . Where do we deserve to live . May we know that place and ourselves, when we retreat. Now that was obviously an essay by someone speaking to something they are passionate about. And another person who wrote something they are passionate about, well robert was contemplating a Environmental Health holocaust this other person, sam harris, wisconsin play moving on from another. And that was the mass genocide perpetrated by adolf hitler and they not cease during world war ii. Sam was boyne born and was taken by the 90s in 1939 at the age of 40 live in concentration camps in dublin in czestochowa and poland. In 1940, five at the age of nine, his camp was liberated by the russian army. Sams sister came to america having lost their parents and their entire extended family in the holocaust. He was adopted by a family in the chicago area. Changed his name to sam harris. And never looked back. As a sophomore in high school he was assigned to write an essay. The very same essay that same contributed to the book. Amazingly, his essay was 273 words. But one of those words he had put in parentheses. And you could bet your Bottom Dollar that we went to him and said, take that one out. And he did. It was as though it was a lincoln ordained miracle. That he ended up with 272 words. So im going to read sams essay. Remember, he wrote this is a 16 year old boy. And he also told me that none of his classmates knew his history. So they just knew him as a classmate and did not know what he had gone through. And he entitled it the best place on earth. America is indeed the best place on earth. Most people born in america may not think of it the same way i do. Because all the freedom comes to them as a as breathing. Being born in europe and living through the war, i have a different respect for democracy as being practiced in the u. S. Not until about three and a half years ago did i know what democracy was. Then the day came. I moved to this free country, and this was a complete change for me in the way people live and the language they spoke. And all the countries i had been, including poland, my birthplace, austria or germany, the people moved so freely and lived in such modern countries, then still on the harbor ships the pile, i stared at the million lights bright and they. Night between the large buildings and our ship on the water, they are light a Little Island on which rested the statue of liberty. Even not knowing yet with this huge figure was, i stared at it with great interest. Then i questioned. When i realize what it symbolized, that much more my eyes brightened with freedom. A heartbeats with the drums of peace. He lives in the seven for three and a half years, and i still think of these first visions of real human life which all the people all over the world should when they experience. My, heart i should hope, we never let me forget the sites of liberty. Which is on the first night in america. God bless america. That one always gets me. Abraham lincoln who was a friend to the and other oppressed people, refugees, at the time. And immigrants. He was obviously most associated with ending the civil war and demolishing slavery. One of the many things which made him great was big picture thinking. Which is he is the ultimate multitasker. Even though they didnt have a turn back then. He was. And he, in the midst of the civil war raging on in the slavery question being debates, still had the big vision for our nation. He passed the homestead act which provided lands to pioneering settlers, settling the western frontier. He passed the Pacific Railroad act which actually led to the nailing of the golden spikes connecting the east and west coast railroads. He passed the moral land grant act which creates our system of land grant universities, one in every state. The he established the department of agriculture and the National Banking system. The list of his accomplishments go on and on. But one of our essayists, Neil Degrasse tyson, rose about one of lincolns many lesser known accomplishments. His establishment of the National Academy of sciences. Dr. Tysons essay was so wellreceived after it came out in this book that bill gates actually made a video of it 12 encourage americas youth to engage in Scientific Study and exploration. If you are interested, it is available on youtube. You can take a look at it in your free time. But i would like to read doctor tysons essay for you now. It is, called the lincoln seed bed. One and a half centuries ago, civil war divided these United States of america. Yet in its wake, we would kneel as one nation in the visible. During the bloody years of the gettysburg address, president Lincoln Charter the National Academy of sciences, comprised of 50 distinguished american researchers who path was, then as now, to advise congress and the executive branch of all the ways the frontier science may contribute to the health, wealth, and security of its residents. As a young nation just for scoring seven years old, we have plucked the engineering fruit of the Industrial Revolution that transforms europe. But americans have yet to embrace the meaning of science to society. Now, with more than 2000 members, the National Academy encompasses dozens of fields on trumped up at the time of lincolns charter. Quantum physics, discovered in the 19 twenties, no has nearly one third of the worlds wealth. Forming the basis of our computer revolution. Climatology as we warm our planet, climatology maybe our only hope to save us from ourselves. During this centennial, president carter addressed the academy membership, noting the range and depth of scientific events in this room constitutes the seabed of our nations future. And this, the 21st century, innovations in science and Technology Form the primary engine of our economic growth. While most remember on a stable for war and peace and slavery and freedom, the time has come to recognize him for setting our nation on a course of scientifically enlightens government, without which we all may perish from this earth. A year prior to lincolns charter, our 16th president also establish the medal of honor. And we are fortunate to have a medal of honor recipient, alison lynch, contributes a essay to the. Book part of his essay, he remarked, the greatest honor of my life was being awarded the medal of honor. 63 medals were earned in the battle of gettysburg. Given the honor to take place, my place alongside such man, is humbling. I believe i must do my best to honor the medal because of what it represents. Lincoln calls on all americans to complete the unfinished work. Not only of maintaining the union, but also of our founding principles of liberty and equality. These are our national principles, worth defending with our lives. Principles well worth enduring great hardship. And they had another essay from another veteran. Who would literally sacrifice or went to war with the idea that she might be sacrificing her life. She literally sacrificed her limbs. And her story is very inspirational. U. S. Representative tammy duckworth, and she writes, her essays entitled our greatest treasure. Barely a month before this assassination, president lincoln defined our obligation to our veterans, saying, let us drive on to finish the work we are in. To bind up the nations wounds and to care for him who has borne the battle, first widow and orphan. Americas greatest resources not our wealth. It is not military might. Or mineral deposits. Our greatest treasure is the men and women willing to die to defend the nation. War is not fought with nameless troops. But with people. They are our loved ones. Our neighbors. And friends. Since lexington and concord are military men and women answered the call when america asks, who is willing to lay down their lives for liberty and freedom . They do this not just for those they know and love, but also for strangers across the land that they will never meet. These patriots serve and so do their loved ones. Our military families, time and again, send their beloved to bleed for our nation. It is easy to honor our troops when they deploy, hold parades when they return, or celebrate their memory a few holidays each year. That is not enough. How a nation treats veterans after their service is a true measure of all of us. Whether it is health care, education, or employment. We have a covenant to keep with our veteran. And in the case of veterans homelessness, we are all decided when they battery must lay their heads to rest on the streets they defended. It begins with lincoln, but it rests with all of us to care for him who has borne the battle. As you know they realize, i share info or in part only a handful of the more than 1000 essays way to receive through this project. We have about 92 more in the book that were published. They were all buried in tone and subject in style and what they write about. But they are all inspired by the great emancipator Abraham Lincoln. Im gonna share just one last essay. And it was written by the film lincoln producer, kathy kennedy. Her essay is entitled clarity of purpose, and it is very good at helping us close. Although ill say a few remarks just after this. And she writes, we spend much of not all of our lives in search of our reason for being. And the harder we look, the more the hidden meaning of our own existence seems to elude us. Abraham lincoln, and on the other hand, add unenviable clarity of purpose that resulted in his many great achievements. He recognized the party the party would play in American History, and wasted no time in accomplishing all he could. Those seemingly insurmountable obstacles were put in his path, his understanding of how he fits into his time and place, coupled with his ambition, vision, and our strength and strong moral compass. Which always gave him the will to overcome them. But that personal question we often fail to recognize, often comes at a serious cost. The responsibility to fulfill once destiny, once it has been revealed, is an enormous burden that demands tremendous sacrifice. The cost required of lincoln to save the Union President to slavery and preserve the very idea of democracy. Which could not have been higher. It is difficult to imagine that someone would rise to that challenge. It is even more difficult to imagine the kind of person that would rise so fully, so selflessly, and with unconditional dedication. It is for that very reason that often, in the same breath, we refer to his story as both an incredible triumph and a terrible tragedy. But because this man was exactly it was meant to be, and just of the right time, he is left indelible mark on our history. Our country. And our lives. And for that, president Abraham Lincoln will always be remembered. Truly remembered. And just as lincoln looks introspectively, on to these questions, i know ask each of you, what is your destiny . What is your purpose . What is it that is timothy tremendous sacrifice from you . What is your gettysburg address and what are your 272 words . Abraham lincoln, even from the grave, still had this completely unfinished work so that we have future generations of americans may enjoy the fruits of a more perfect union. And Abraham Lincoln wasnt still is a Great American hero. A hero who saw the United States as the last best hope of earth. He was committed to making america live up to the principles espoused by our founding fathers, and the declaration of independence. Our constitution, our bill of rights. He was committed to our nation having a new burst of freedom so that governments of the people, by the people, for the people, would not perish from the earth. He understood that the mighty scourge of war that had come upon our nation was just the physical manifestation of our nations failure to live up to its own lofty principles. Washington was the father of our country. Visit was the savior and his story continues to be revealed, and revered. As the russian author leo toy story once wrote, the greatness of napoleon, cesar or washington is only moonlight by the son of lincoln. His example is universal it will last thousands of years. He was bigger than his country. Bigger than all his presents together. Lincoln lived and died a hero. It has a great character he will live as long as the world lives. And in the and, i will leave it to william shakespeare. Why would have loved to have 272 words from. Shakespeare was one of lincoln s favorite literary figures. And shakespeare, says take him and cut him out a little stars. And he shall make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with nice, and pay no worship to the garish sun. With that, i thank you for sharing this evening with me, and i encourage each of you to write your own 272 words. We are still collecting them and they will become a permanent part of the archive of the Abraham Lincoln president ial library and museum. They are all 12 or 1300 of them are there. And yours can be there to. I am but you all to come and visit our museum and library in springfield. And i thank you again for being here this evening. Thank, you carla. That was a wonderful presentation the great project and i dont know who thought of it but it is inspiring. And i hope that maybe you will still get more than 272 words from someone in the new york audience. We are working on it. We do have time for some questions. Doesnt really have any questions . We have a microphone in the pile there. If you would step up. And ask your questions. First off, i know i speak for the audience when i say thank you for not having also everett everetts. We would be here till tomorrow. You mentioned Prime Minister deciding this address and in the international visitors, accompanying the museum, everyone would know that lincoln won the civil war and emancipated the slaves. His words are much more specific to this time in this place in our history, then for example jeffersons and the declaration of independence, much more universal, applying to people almost anytime anyplace. Youll find the people who come visit familiar lincolns words and their meaning. We receivers are so more than 100 countries annually. They come from five continents, and they all know of him. They may not be that familiar with some of his writing as others, but today know the gettysburg address. And we have actually had some International Essays in the book. Likely former president of poland, or 272 words. So, people do know. But when they come to our museum, oftentimes their response is that they did not quite know his whole story and when they learn it they become even more taken with him. So we actually had one woman from south africa who said that she actually warned us and said i am going im just telling you what im going to scream enjoy when we brought that his hat and sure enough, she did. I mean, people are very moved by him. You said that lincoln left to copies of his future in washington and gave edward at 4 to 1. I thought he wrote the speech from the train going to gettysburg. Is that accurate . While, he probably was writing some of it on the train but he also stayed in gettysburg the night before and was probably perfecting its that night. But he wrote it and afterwards a member of the press asked him for a copy of it. And he gave it to them because they were going to types and you want to descended around. And that person through that copy out. So that is lost to history. And so, the very first one he was asked to write out after giving it was the everett. Thank. You thank you for your question. Would you want to tell us a little bit, how many copies were there altogether . There are five sets that exist today, written in his own hands. I, mean from a stroke standpoint we always wait for the day when someone says, well, nobody knew. But guess what . We have the six. And i will quickly tell you, one day i was invited to someones home down in florida. They said, a friend of mine passed away and he have some lincoln related to documents we would like to give to you. He said, could you come down . And i said, all, right before. Absolutely. We got there and they had it in a hefty bag. All of this was and i have the plastic bag that they had thrown in the closets. And all i kept thinking, was thank god nobody threw it out overtime. Like some of the theories when mom claims at the baseball cards. It turned out ahead to lincoln letters. One of wage historians knew of its previous existence but that had been destroyed and didnt know that it was still in existence. So, you really never know. I hold out hope there is a six copy somewhere in the world. That nobody knows about. You saw there was one of the lincoln bedroom in the white house . Yes. One in Cornell University. And two with the library of congress, which were the drafts. And then we have one. The illicit museum has one . Our Springfield Museum is one of only two places that have the gettysburg address, the emancipation proclamation, and if there tenth amendment. The other is a library of congress. Go ahead. Im impressed with Abraham Lincolns in reference to the aftermath of this rising in 1862. When hundreds of indians were sentenced to death. And lincoln reviewed every single one of the cases, and reduced to about 38, 39. And i understand he did this at great Political Risk because the people of minnesota, that would have generated a lot of controversy. And the elections, the midterm elections of 1862, were coming up. Do you know if the Republican Party as a result of that lost elections in the house and senate . You are educating us tonight. I dont have an answer for that question. I am not a historian. My phd is not in history. But working where i have worked for the last six years ive learned a lot. I would check in for that. Check into that for you. If you give me your name and address, i would be happy to send you the answer from our lincoln care either. But i can say that throughout his career, lincoln was always for the underdog. And as louise had mentioned we did an exhibit on lincoln and and at one point spread, grant had expelled the from the Mississippi Valley and lincoln learned of it. And immediately rescinded it and said, under no circumstances. So it was always doing things like this. He was famous for pardoning everyone. He was famous for doing exactly what he said he would he understood that this might have been the 200th document i am writing about pardoning someone. But it was the only one that is important to that family, or that individual. And he really took time to determine whether or not he would do these pardons. Or any actions that he took. So i thank, you and i encourage you to give me your email. Thank you. Thank you for your comments, i will ask a separate question. One, what was the reaction to the gettysburg address at the time it was given . And was there a particular moment in American History when this sort of achieved its iconic status . And, second is there any accurate description of what lincolns voice sounded like . Yes. Ill take the first i mean, the second question. First there, i have seen accurate descriptions. And what stevensville was putting together the movie lincoln, they came to our museum and we shared with them not only descriptions of his voice, but of how he walked and sat and his cadence. Not just with his walk by his voice. And our lincoln curators tell me, because we studied it a lot, as told me that daniel day lewiss portrayal of lincoln was very good. Very spot on from all the things written about him. And all the Research Done on him. And as far as the gettysburg address, obviously is not like today where they made a speech. Its beaming all over the world. And as were making the, speech its being beamed. But it was well received. And case and point, there was everett who was saying, you said in two and a half hours but i could not say in two and a half hours. He realized right off the bat thats lincoln had hit the ball out of the park. And lincoln was not one to he had a lot of self deprecating humor and once a woman accused him of being two faced. And he said, if i had to face is what id be wearing this one . So clearly he had self deprecating humor but every once in a while, he knew when he kind of his of the park. And the gettysburg address was one of them. So it was obliging people asked him to write out. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, so first question is, where do you send the submissions . Im gonna have all my students submit. This assignment, unfortunately. So where do you send it . I will give you the address but you can send them to the Abraham Lincoln president ial library foundation. And my email is c and my last, nameyou can get it at the bottom. Dot org. Okay. So my question is, you mentioned carter. Right. Did you reach out to all the living president s . And a general question, how do you determine who to query to do this for posterity. Well, we actually had. There is anybody who wants to write one, we put it in our magazine. We advertise in papers. We sent out press releases. But having said that, there were some people who we felt we should absolutely try to hear from. We were to all the president s and we were very fortunate. Because the president s do not always say yes we will go to this, yes we will do that. It is usually, i hate to say, but the passing of other president s, other major state events. So we were really lucky to get them. We had letters to all the governors and all the states and more of them some of that size. We sent out we went to the captain of the uss abraham, lincoln a crew of 5000. Anyone that wants to write an essay and a lot of the sailors wrote. We picked someone we wrote a lot of the lincoln scholars because we felt it was appropriate. Or not appropriate, but important to get an idea of what they thought about people who run about. Lincoln done films about. Lincoln opinion leaders. But also in our book, we had students from little rock central high school. Who talked about the little rock nine. And we had School Teachers and it was just a really wide breath of different essays. Thank you. I want to thank everyone. Wait one more . Oh, im sorry. You know what, that is a good question. I wish i could tell you. The question was, do i know why the 273rd word was that sam harris took out of his essay . And i dont, im sorry. But sam just so you know went on to establish the Illinois Holocaust Museum and education center. So he went on to do great things. And he is a wonderful man who has joined me on the lot of these presentations. He lives in illinois and cannot make the trip. But anyway, thank you so much. Yeah. Thank you, carla. It was wonderful. You are watching the presidency. Next week, a 50 hours an oak role address and a selection of his World War Two speeches. If youre enjoying American History tv, sign up for our newsletter using the qr code on your screen. You can see the upcoming programs. Sign up for the American History tv newsletter today, and be sure to watch American History tv every saturday, or anytime on line at cspan dot org slash history. Weekends on cspan two are an intellectual feast. Every saturday, American History tv documents americas stories. 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