What phrase begins Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address?

Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address begins with the phrase “Four score and seven years ago.” The expression refers to 87 years, counting back from 1863 to the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

Lincoln delivered the 271-word speech on November 19, 1863, at the dedication of Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The ceremony followed the Battle of Gettysburg, fought from July 1 to 3 during the American Civil War. Edward Everett, a renowned speaker, gave the main oration, while Lincoln delivered the shorter dedication remarks.

The opening connects the Civil War to the nation’s founding ideals. Lincoln described the United States as a nation “conceived in Liberty” and dedicated to the proposition that all people are created equal. The phrase is often misremembered as “Four score and seven years ago today,” but “today” is not part of the famous opening. “Score” simply means twenty, so four score and seven equals 87.