Photo: Courtesy of Ford's Theatre National Historic Site.
File this under proof that social media isn't just reserved for selfies and inane RTs: "Gettysburg" is currently trending on Twitter. Today marks the 150th anniversary of the most famous two-minute speech in history, Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, delivered after the Civil War's most devastating battle in Gettysburg, PA.
In his famously brief speech — it's only 271 words, though it probably didn't seem that short when you memorized it in middle school — Lincoln touched on the principles of liberty and equality found in the Declaration of Independence. He also declared a "new birth of freedom," a sentiment to be echoed decades later during the civil rights movement. We're willing to venture that in the 150 years since, no politician has come close to matching his efficient — and effective — delivery.
To celebrate, head over to Learn the Address, a project by documentarian Ken Burns that encourages notables (and everyone else) to record themselves delivering Lincoln's famous speech. (Stephen Colbert's take is not to be missed.) If you're in Washington, make a trip to the Library of Congress, where you can see copies of the address (Lincoln penned five, total) and plenty of other artifacts from the era. Just be sure to tweet, won't you?
(ABC News)
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