America 250: Presidential Message on the Anniversary of the Gettysburg Address
Today, our Nation marks the 162nd anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, the brief yet immortal speech through which President Abraham Lincoln transformed a battlefield of sacrifice into a hallowed testament to our enduring principles and the nation built to defend them. In honoring that day of solemn dedication, we reflect on what it means to be a country united by liberty, tested by conflict, and strengthened by the conviction that our best days will always lie ahead.
In July of 1863, a fierce battle that determined the fate of our Union unfolded in the hills and fields of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Commanded by Union General George Meade and Confederate General Robert E. Lee, soldiers from the North and South fought relentlessly in the most consequential battle of the Civil War. After a brutal three-day struggle, Confederate forces were defeated at an immense price, and the battlefield was scarred by the loss of more than 7,000 men from all walks of life. When President Lincoln visited the battlefield on November 19th to commemorate those who had perished in the fight, he did not boast of Union victory or vengeance. He spoke instead of renewal, hope, and the debt our Nation owed to those who had given the last full measure of devotion.
In his address, President Lincoln dedicated a cemetery and reconsecrated a Nation to its founding promise. He proclaimed that beyond the challenges that pitted a nation against itself, Americans are bound by a shared history and commitment to preserving our hard-won freedom. His words lifted the gaze of an embattled Nation from the graves at Gettysburg to the horizon of a more perfect Union. He reminded Americans that liberty is never self-sustaining—rather, it survives only through the courage and conviction of those willing to fight for it. President Lincoln’s address transformed sorrow into strength and loss into purpose, binding the Nation’s wounds and reminding Americans that those who fought and perished did not die in vain, but fought to secure a new birth of freedom for our country.
More than two and a half centuries later, President Lincoln’s message still reaches across time to remind us of our proud history, our common bond, and our duties as Americans. He called upon the people of this country in every age to stand as one Nation, preserve our liberty, and always defend our God-given right to self-government. As we prepare to celebrate 250 glorious years of American independence, we renew our commitment to those timeless principles and continue our work to ensure that our great Nation remains worthy of the ultimate sacrifices that built and preserved it. We will always remember our fallen heroes, cherish our freedom, honor our heritage, and forever uphold that a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
