ALPLM's copy of the Gettysburg Address goes on display Friday. Here's how to see it
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum's original, handwritten copy of the Gettysburg Address will go on display Friday in the Treasures Gallery while the ALPLM has also launched a new web tool that makes it easy to study the famous speech in detail.
The ALPLM retains one of five surviving copies of the address written out by Lincoln. It will be on display through Nov. 30 before it is returned to a climate-controlled vault for safekeeping.
The display marks the anniversary of the speech given on Nov. 19, 1863, at the dedication ceremony for the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
A new web page (www.PresidentLincoln.Illinois.gov/gettysburgaddress) gives visitors an up-close look at the presidential library’s copy of the speech, explaining its history and how it differs from other copies.
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The site includes educational resources for teachers and parents, a photo gallery and links to other sources of information about the address.
It is known as the “Edward Everett copy” and was purchased by the state of Illinois for $60,000 through a contribution of pennies and nickels made by schoolchildren, as well as a donation from Marshall Field III in 1944.
Lincoln wrote out several copies of the speech, one of which was given to Everett, a well-known orator who also spoke at Gettysburg that day. The copies all have slightly varying text.
Christian McWhirter, the library and museum’s Lincoln historian, said the Gettysburg Address is the most famous speech in the English language and still inspires Americans "to pursue the ‘unfinished work’ of building a better nation.”
Christina Shutt, executive director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, called the handwritten copy of Lincoln's address "a national treasure."
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“In 272 powerful words," Shutt added, "Abraham Lincoln captured the pain of the Civil War and the truth of what was at stake: a new birth of freedom."
When the address is displayed this year, new features will make it more accessible to people with visual impairments. By scanning QR codes with their mobile phones, visitors will be able to hear a reading of the speech and the display label that explains the speech’s significance or see an easy-to-read text version of the speech.
For more information, visit www.PresidentLincoln.illinois.gov.
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Copy of Gettysburg Address to go on display at Springfield museum