Battle of Gettysburg

Hello there. My name is Abraham Lincoln, and a long time ago, I was the President of the United States. I wore a very tall hat and had a beard, but the most important thing about me was that I loved my country very much. When I was president, our country was like a big family that was having a very serious argument. It was called the Civil War. Part of our family, the states in the North, was called the Union. The other part, the states in the South, was called the Confederacy. They disagreed on some very important ideas, especially about whether it was right for people to own other people. It made me so sad to see our country fighting against itself. It felt like a house divided. But I held on to a big hope in my heart. I believed that one day our family would come back together, stronger and more united than ever before.

One summer, while I was working in my office at the White House, I received some very important news. A huge battle had just happened in a small town in Pennsylvania called Gettysburg. For three whole days, from July 1st to July 3rd in the year 1863, our Union soldiers fought against the Confederate soldiers. My generals told me it was one of the biggest and loudest battles they had ever seen. The cannons sounded like a powerful thunderstorm that shook the ground for miles. So many brave men fought in that battle. They were all Americans, and that was the saddest part. When the fighting finally stopped, the Union army had won. This was a very important moment. It was a sign of hope that our country might be able to stay together after all. Even though we were happy about the victory, our hearts were also heavy. Many soldiers had lost their lives, and we knew we had to find a way to honor them and make sure they didn't fight for nothing. The battle was over, but the work of healing our country was just beginning.

A few months later, on a chilly day, November 19th, 1863, I took a train to Gettysburg. The town was quiet now, but you could still feel the sadness in the air. We were there to create a special resting place for the soldiers who had fought and died. I was asked to say a few words. Many people gave long, important-sounding speeches that day, but I wanted my speech to be short and simple, something everyone could understand and remember. I stood up and spoke for only about two minutes. I talked about how our country was started with the idea that everyone is created equal. I said that the brave soldiers had given their lives so that our nation could have a 'new birth of freedom.' Most importantly, I wanted everyone to promise that we would make sure our government—a government 'of the people, by the people, for the people'—would not disappear from the Earth. My words were few, but my hope was that they would remind everyone why we had to work together to be one country, united in freedom, for always.