Claim: Abraham Lincoln was alive in America.

The Gettysburg Address is a speech by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln , one of the best-known in American history . It was delivered by Lincoln during the American Civil War , on the afternoon of Thursday , November 19 , 1863 , at the dedication of the Soldiers ' National Cemetery in Gettysburg , Pennsylvania , four and a half months after the Union armies defeated those of the Confederacy at the Battle of Gettysburg .   Abraham Lincoln 's carefully crafted address , secondary to other presentations that day , was one of the greatest and most influential statements of national purpose . In just over two minutes , Lincoln reiterated the principles of human equality espoused by the Declaration of Independence and proclaimed the Civil War as a struggle for the preservation of the Union sundered by the secession crisis , with `` a new birth of freedom '' that would bring true equality to all of its citizens . Lincoln also redefined the Civil War as a struggle not just for the Union , but also for the principle of human equality .   Beginning with the now-iconic phrase `` Four score and seven years ago '' -- referring to the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776 -- Lincoln examined the founding principles of the United States as stated in the Declaration of Independence . In the context of the Civil War , Lincoln also memorialized the sacrifices of those who gave their lives at Gettysburg and extolled virtues for the listeners -LRB- and the nation -RRB- to ensure the survival of America 's representative democracy : that `` government of the people , by the people , for the people , shall not perish from the earth . ''   Despite the speech 's prominent place in the history and popular culture of the United States , the exact wording and location of the speech are disputed . The five known manuscripts of the Gettysburg Address in Lincoln 's hand differ in a number of details , and also differ from contemporary newspaper reprints of the speech . Modern scholarship locates the speakers ' platform 40 yards -LRB- or more -RRB- away from the Traditional Site within Soldiers ' National Cemetery at the Soldiers ' National Monument and entirely within private , adjacent Evergreen Cemetery .