The Queen's English

[STS Lincolnite]

Eva, I have just begun doing some more in depth research on the Gettysburg address for a talk that I am preparing. The speech itself is incredible in how much it is able to articulate in so few words.

The beginning (Four score and seven years ago...) is believed to have been heavily influenced by a passage from the bible - Psalm 90:10. In the King James version of the Bible (which would have been most familiar to Lincoln and his audience), it reads as follows: “The days of our years are threescore and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” That certainly would make sense as an influence based on Lincoln's knowledge of the bible. I'm sure the people of the time would have had a better everyday knowledge of the Bible than most people would have today. It would have sounded familiar to the crowd without being immediately recognizable (the passage I think is kind of an obscure one) and thereby immediately building a connection with the audience.

The first book I read about the Gettysburg Address (as I continue to move through my research stack) was Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words that Remade America by Garry Wills. It goes in depth into the many influences (Biblical, Greek, etc.) for the speech. It is loaded with interesting tidbits about the speech and so much more related to Lincoln's visit to Gettysburg. It also has an appendix that includes the entire text of Edward Everett's speech (Wow. I had a hard time getting through that one). I would highly recommend the book.