Manuscript Division historian Michelle Krowl (left) talks with Washington, D.C., students about the story behind the Gettysburg Address, on display on Nov. 19 to celebrate the 155th anniversary of the historic speech. Photo by Shawn Miller.
On Nov. 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Invited to give a “few appropriate remarks” to dedicate a cemetery for Union soldiers killed at the Battle of Gettysburg, Lincoln delivered — over the course of about two minutes — what has become one of the most widely recognized speeches in the English language.
Yesterday, to mark the 155th anniversary of the historic Civil War address, the Library hosted a daylong celebration, including display of Lincoln’s earliest known draft of the speech and work stations at which visitors tried their hands at transcribing Lincoln documents using the Library’s new crowdsourcing tool.
If you missed yesterday’s event, not to worry: You can listen to a recording on the Library’s YouTube site. And if you have time over the Thanksgiving weekend, consider taking part in our Letters to Lincoln challenge. We hope to inspire volunteers to finish transcribing 10,000 items from the Abraham Lincoln Papers by the end of 2018.
Help us meet our goal by transcribing at least one page and sharing your work with others.
For more details about the Library’s crowdsourcing initiative, read this blog post.
