
"Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure..."
-Abraham Lincoln
This speech was delivered November 19, 1863.

LearnOutLoud.com Review:
    Multiple Versions of Lincoln's Great Speech | Listen to Lincoln''s most famous speech. American Rhetoric offers the speech in four different versions, one narrated by musician Johnny Cash, and the others read by actors Jeff Daniels, Sam Waterson, and Jim Getty. Sam Waterson has portrayed Lincoln on TV and film and delivers the address in how we typically assume Lincoln to sound like. Jim Getty is one of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania''s "most recognized" residents as he often plays the role of Lincoln there, and his reading sounds like a historical reenactment. Johnny Cash strums the guitar on his reading and Jeff Daniels offers the most dramatic reading complete with orchestral accompaniment. The speech is about 2 minutes and 30 seconds and is available on streaming audio from American Rhetoric. |
Write a Review of Gettysburg Address
   
Three Contrasting Styles, May 30, 2006
Reviewer: Bob Robson
The "Gettysburg Address" is a masterpiece of American oratory. To my ear, Jeff Daniels' reading is somewhat fast and shrill, while Sam Waterston's is hesitant and flat. In contrast, Johnny Cash speaks (rather than reads) Lincoln's words as Lincoln himself might have done -- with quiet depth and dignity that builds to a noble, inspiring climax. Johnny Cash was not only a great country singer but a moving interpreter of the written word. -- R.R.
- Published:
1863
- LearnOutLoud.com Product ID:
G016984

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