Meeting of November 10, 2011

Herb Kaufman on “Creating the Gettysburg Address”

man at a podium

Herb Kaufman

Herb Kaufman addressed the myth of Lincoln writing the Gettysburg Address on a small piece of paper on a train from Washington to Gettysburg. Herb pointed out the 272 words of Lincoln’s Address that had their foundation in the Declaration of Independence. He explained looking into Lincoln’s mind and examining his prior speeches and comments and determining how they impacted his thoughts for November 19, 1863. Herb further pointed out that Abraham Lincoln was one of our nation’s most thoughtful and measured presidents. That he rarely made comments that didn’t have a specific point, nor did he write a speech without giving it the most deliberate thought. The ideas and concepts that stand behind what has become his most famous and quoted speech could hardly have been attributed to a two hour ride on a train.

November 2011 Newsletter