For America's 250th anniversary, who delivered the Gettysburg Address?

Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863.

Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States and spoke at the dedication of Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The ceremony followed the Battle of Gettysburg, fought from July 1 to July 3, 1863, during the American Civil War.

The address was brief, but it connected the war to the principles of equality and self-government. Lincoln described the conflict as a test of whether a nation founded on liberty could endure. His remarks helped redefine the meaning of the Union’s wartime struggle.

Lincoln was not the main speaker at the ceremony. Edward Everett, a prominent orator and former secretary of state, delivered a much longer address before Lincoln spoke. The speech is often remembered as one of the most influential political speeches in American history, despite its short length.