As we recognize the 150th anniversary of the delivery of the Gettysburg Address, I hope we remember that thousands of people have continued to die so that this nation might live. I hope we are able to strengthen our resolve to find ways to work together instead of against each other so that this new nation – one of the people, by the people, and for the people – shall not perish from this earth.
It only took a few minutes. And even though it was extremely short, Lincoln delivered one of the greatest speeches in American rhetoric. And it’s only 10 sentences long. It’s a powerful example of how words matter. It’s also a poignant reminder that even greatness can have its critics. And while their criticism may have seemed warranted at the time, they seem pretty short-sighted and petty now.
150 years later, I think these words still ring true. They’re more than just a speech that I had to memorize in middle school. They still inspire. They still challenge. Lincoln says more in 271 words than most politicians say in their lifetime.