By Rockford Sun |
Nov 19, 2023
On November 19, 1863, a dedication ceremony took place at the Gettysburg Soldiers' National Cemetery. The keynote speaker for the event was Edward Everett, a well-known orator and former U.S. Senator. However, despite delivering a two-hour, 13,000-word speech, Everett's words were overshadowed by a much shorter, but far more impactful, address given by President Abraham Lincoln.At the time, Lincoln's speech, which lasted only two minutes and consisted of 271 words, was initially seen by some as a failure. However, history has shown that it would go on to become one of the...