The Gettysburg Address lives in popular imagination as sweetly
poetic patriotism. While that perspective has value, deeper
meanings in Abraham Lincoln’s great words are often overlooked.
This conversation explores how the Gettysburg Address asks what
it means to be an American. What is the meaning of the phrase
“all men are created equal” in the Declaration of Independence,
and in Lincoln’s quotation of that phrase? How does the
Constitution fit a discussion of equality? Though the promise of
equality now seems ideal and inevitable, Lincoln’s foes
dismissed the Declaration’s reference to equality as mere
opinion, with no legal standing, and instead invoked the
Constitution, because it allowed slavery. Beyond equality, what
was the “great task” that Lincoln said remained? And what is the
fundamental basis of our government? By asking what it means to
be an American, and what America is, Lincoln joined a
conversation that continues today. Sponsored by NY Council for
the Humanities To RSVP, call 845-565-2076 or