Inside the Vault: The Gettysburg Address

The Gettysburg Address gave meaning to the Civil War. In under three minutes, Abraham Lincoln described the war as a momentous chapter in the global struggle for self-government, liberty, and equality. He declared that the nation would “have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”

On November 6, 2025, our curators discussed the Gettysburg Address with Dr. Jonathan White, Professor of American Studies, Christopher Newport University.

Download the slides from the presentation here.

FEATURED DOCUMENT

 The President’s Dedication Address at Gettysburg, 1863

USE THE TIMESTAMPS BELOW TO JUMP TO THE TOPIC YOU WANT TO VIEW

0:00–2:11: Introduction and Today’s Documents

2:12–7:07: Washington’s Influence on Lincoln

7:08–23:16: Lincoln’s Earlier Speeches

23:17–38:02: The Gettysburg Address

38:03–39:58: Lincoln’s Parlor

39:59–55:09: Q&A

55:10: Upcoming Programs

RELATED RESOURCES

• Essay: “Lincoln’s ‘Flat Failure’: The Gettysburg Myth Revisited” by Harold Holzer, Roosevelt Public Policy House at Hunter College (History Now 37, “Gettysburg Insights and Perspectives,” Fall 2013)
• Essay: “‘The Brave Men, Living and Dead’: Common Soldiers at the Battle of Gettysburg” by Robert Bonner, Dartmouth College (History Now 37, “Gettysburg Insights and Perspectives,” Fall 2013)
• Essay: “The Relevance of Gettysburg” by D. Scott Hartwig, Gettysburg National Military Park (History Now 37, “Gettysburg Insights and Perspectives,” Fall 2013)
• Essay: “‘Your Late Lamented Husband’: A Letter from Frederick Douglass to Mary Todd Lincoln” by David W. Blight, Yale University
• Essay: “‘To give all a chance’: Lincoln, Abolition, and Economic Freedom” by Lewis E. Lehrman, co-chairman of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
• Spotlight on Primary Source: Civilian describes pillaging near Gettysburg, 1863
• Spotlight on Primary Source: Union soldier turns medic at Gettysburg, 1863
• Spotlight on Primary Source: Death of a soldier, 1863: Paul Semmes
• Spotlight on Primary Source: Civil War condolence letter for General Paul Semmes, 1863
• Spotlight on Primary Source: The Gettysburg Address, 1863
• Online Exhibition: Abraham Lincoln: A Man of His Time, A Man for All Times
• Online Exhibition: Abraham Lincoln in His Own Words
• Video: “Teacher’s Tour of Gettysburg Battlefield: Gettysburg Address”
• Video: “Inside the Vault: Abraham Lincoln”
• Video: “Inside the Vault: July Anniversaries”
• Video: “The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln through His Words”
• Video: “Gettysburg: The Last Invasion”
• Lesson Plan: Battle of Gettysburg through Union and Confederate Eyes
• Lesson Plan: The Gettysburg Address