The nation was some two and a half years into the bloodiest and most ghastly war this country has ever fought. Reeling from seemingly unending blood and gore, the nation was weary. Surely nothing could be worth this horrible loss, could it?
The man who rose shakily to follow the bombast of Mr Everett was, of course, Abraham Lincoln. In sharp contrast, his “remarks” lasted a mere two minutes. Accounts vary but there is some agreement that at the end of his speech there was essentially silence and no rousing burst of applause. Truth be told, it is likely many in the crowd that day did not even have time to register that Mr. Lincoln had begun to speak. The photographer charged with recording the days events was caught so off guard that we have no picture of Lincoln actually speaking. And, Mr. Lincoln himself, slightly stung, perhaps, by the lack of reaction, is said to have remarked to his bodyguard, Mr. Lamon, that “...that speech won't scour...”. An old farmers expression referring to a plow blade that reference to won't do the job.
And so he rose that morning to address the crowd, but also, as he certainly knew, to address the nation. His words would, of course, be printed and disseminated across the country within hours if not days.
Politically astute beyond most, Mr. Lincoln was not one to squander an opportunity. The country needed a reason to continue the war to it's ultimate successful (for the nation although not for the South) conclusion. Begun as a war against secession, the conflict now included emancipation of the slaves, a goal not embraced by large numbers in the North, let alone the South. The “nub” behind Mr. Lincoln's intent that day was to reconcile this difference and to provide a new rationale for continuing the war. And the speech he delivered did so masterfully.
The following day, Mr. Everett wrote to Mr. Lincoln complimenting his speech and saying "I should be glad if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes."
Indeed, despite Mr. Lincoln's fears, the speech did “scour”. It made it's way into the newspapers across the country, inspired a weary nation with new confidence, and has come down to us through history with the judgement of time proclaiming it as one of the finest speeches ever given in the English language.
Not bad for a gangly, self educated country boy from the dusty roads of prairie Illinois. Not bad at all. :-)
Mr. Lincoln remarked in his address “... the world will little note, nor long remember what we say here...”
In this one instance, it appears Mr. Lincoln was uncharacteristically, but happily, completely wrong.
Geoff Beauchamp is the Regional Manager of Mobile Ed Productions where "Education Through Entertainment" has been the guiding principal since 1979. Mobile Ed Productions produces and markets quality educational school assembly programs in the fieldsof science, history, writing, astronomy, natural science, mathematics, character issues and a variety of other curriculum based areas. In addition, Mr. Beauchamp is a professional actor with 30 years of experience in film, television and on stage. He created and still performs occasionally in Mobile Ed's THE LIVING LINCOLN. He also spent ten years coordinating assembly programs for the elementary school where his own children went to school.