Which U.S. president delivered the Gettysburg Address in Pennsylvania in 1863?

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

Lincoln spoke at the dedication of Soldiers’ National Cemetery, now Gettysburg National Cemetery, about four and a half months after the Battle of Gettysburg. The Union victory had been one of the Civil War’s most important turning points, and the ceremony honored soldiers who had died there.

The speech lasted about two minutes and contained 271 words in the standard Bliss version. Lincoln connected the war to the founding ideals of equality and self-government, arguing that the sacrifices at Gettysburg should strengthen the nation’s commitment to preserving the Union.

A popular story says Lincoln wrote the entire address quickly on the back of an envelope while traveling to Gettysburg. Historians reject that as a myth; evidence indicates he prepared and revised the speech. Edward Everett, the principal orator at the ceremony, gave a much longer speech, but Lincoln’s brief address became the event’s enduring legacy.