Edward Everett was considered the nation's greatest orator of his time. He was invited to give the main speech at the dedication of the cemetery at Gettysburg. Almost as an afterthought the committee, asked President Lincoln to make a "few appropriate remarks."

Everett's 30 page speech lasted two hours. Lincoln's two-minute follow-up speech, known as the Gettysburg Address is one of the most famous speeches in the American History. Everett wrote a note to Lincoln the next day, telling him of his appreciation for the President's brief, but moving, speech: "I should be glad, if I could flatter myself that I came as near the central idea of the occasion in two hours, as you did in two minutes."

Lincoln's speech redefined the purpose of the Civil War. This was a struggle not only to save the Union and honor the dead but also created a "new birth of freedom" that brought equality to all citizens.