Learn The Address

Luddly Neddite

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Home | Learn the Address

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, documentarian Ken Burns, along with numerous partners, has launched a national effort to encourage everyone in America to video record themselves reading or reciting the speech.The collection of recordings housed on this site will continue to grow as more and more people are inspired by the power of history and take the challenge to LEARN THE ADDRESS.

About the Project | Learn the Address

Background

The inspiration for this project is the tiny Greenwood School in the small town of Putney, Vermont. The school's students, boys ages 11-17, all face a range of learning differences that have made their personal, academic and social progress extremely challenging. Yet each year they are encouraged to practice, memorize, and recite the Gettysburg Address.

The Greenwood School is the focus of Burns's next film, THE ADDRESS, which will air on PBS in the spring of 2014. The two-hour, feature-length documentary shines a light on this extraordinary school and its efforts to memorialize the Gettysburg Address.

The film interweaves this contemporary story with the history, context and importance of the Address, which remains one of the most important declarations ever made on human equality. The site and videos will be utilized to create on-going interest in the Gettysburg Address and to support the educational materials that will be distributed as part of the broadcast of Burns's film in April 2014.

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This morning I watched Ken Burns talking about this project. He said a large percentage of college graduates do not know the origin of the phrase, " ... government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." (He stated a number but I don't remember what it was.)

If ever there was a cause that is worth fighting and dying for, its the equality of all people. Interestingly, in his inauguration speech, he said he would not interfere with slavery but he also said,

...And might it not be well at the same time to provide by law for the enforcement of that clause in the Constitution which guarantees that "the citizens of each State shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens in the several States"?...

I believe completely in the idea and the daily reality of equality for all Americans and I'm going to do this. I'm going to read the Gettysburg Address and save it to this site. I hope this projects 'appeals to the better angels of our nature' and that other posters will do so as well.
 
Equal in what way?
Protection under the Law? Surely that is something to strive for.
Equal in Purpose? Ability? Outcome? Not exactly. I believe we are each precious in the Creator's eyes. What we do with what we have, is on us. No 2 paths are identical. With choice comes a multiple of possibilities related to outcome. Want a better environment. Establish Justice, build on It's foundation, serve it, preserve it.
 
Its not too late to record your own version.

As we all know now, President Obama was specifically asked to recite the version that did not include the word, "God" - called the Nicolay Version. You can choose the version you prefer by scrolling down to the third line of photos, second square over. Or you can go to this link to read them all and choose.

Gettysburg Visitor Center

This is such a worthwhile project. I hope others will record their own voice reciting these timeless and completely bipartisan words.
 

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