A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.
On Nov. 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address at the dedication of a national cemetery at the site of the Civil War battlefield of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania.
Today, the speech is recalled as reinvigorating national ideals of freedom, liberty and justice amid a Civil War that had torn the country into pieces. For the most part it has stood the test of time.
The speech was just 272 words long — or as one historian has written, “Today, a listener with a smartphone could polish it off in 10 tweets or simply post the raw video on YouTube.”
The Deseret News made some mention of the speech in its Nov. 25, 1863, weekly edition. Reportedly, many newspaper reports paraphrased or outright butchered the text.
But The Associated Press was there.
In his book, “Writing the Gettysburg Address,” Martin P. Johnson argues that the fledgling “wire service” played a key role in ensuring that most Americans experienced the true power and poetry of their president’s words at a time when he desperately wanted to reach them.”
Now, more than 150 years later, the words ring true and are often repeated.
Here are stories from Deseret News archives about the Gettysburg Address and its impact:
“The Gettysburg Address and how history came to know (and argue over) its immortal words”
“150 years later, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address honored, remembered”
“Opinion: Remember the Gettysburg Address”
“Gettysburg Address laced with religious language and meaning”
“Gettysburg — a personal lesson in the value of American history”
“This week in history: The Battle of Gettysburg a turning point in Civil War”
“Gettysburg and the ‘new proposition’ of American politics”
“‘Deseret News Sunday Edition’ looks at Gettysburg Address, texting’s toll on relationships”
“Do you know all 272 words of the Gettysburg Address? Utah students kick off memorization challenge”
“Students accept challenge to memorize Gettysburg Address”
