Gettysburg Address Quiz

What was the reason Lincoln was in Gettysburg, PA, on November 19, 1863?

• The Confederate president, Jefferson Davis, was ready to negotiate an end to the war and wanted Lincoln there.

• The people of Gettysburg were dedicating a cemetery for all the dead left there after the Battle of Gettysburg.

• Lincoln wanted to visit the front lines and decided that Gettysburg provided him with that opportunity.

• The Chamber of Commerce of Gettysburg was launching a new tourist campaign and wanted Lincoln to appear there.

David Wills, the man who led the project to build a cemetery at Gettysburg wanted the dedication ceremony to take place on October 23rd, 1863, but it didn't happen. How come?

• Wills and the Gettysburg Cemetery Commission didn't have a main speaker lined up until November 1st.

• Wills and the other people on his committee wanted the ceremony to take place under more cooler weather.

• The main speaker told Wills he could not get his speech ready by October 23rd.

• There were too many vultures living around Gettysburg and eating the dead.

Why was Lincoln's comment "the world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here," ironic to many people?

• It's ironic because Lincoln wanted the speech to be the most influential speech in the world.

• It's ironic because Lincoln never gave a speech at Gettysburg, PA.

• It's ironic because Lincoln never said those words. Someone inserted those words after the speech was printed in the press.

• It's ironic because we do remember what Lincoln said there. The Gettysburg Address is one of the most quoted documents in the world.

When Lincoln said, "Four score and seven years ago, our Fathers brought forth on this continent . . . ," Lincoln was referring to a specific event that happened eighty-seven years prior. What event was he referring to when he spoke these words?

• He was referring to the War of 1812.

• He was referring to the American Revolution.

• He was referring to the Civil War.

• He was referring to the French and Indian War.

The Battle of Gettysburg occurred ______?

• July 11-13, 1863

• July 21-23, 1863

• July 4, 1863

• July 1-3, 1863

What document was Lincoln referring to when he said, ". . . and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

• Lincoln was referring to the Declaration of Independence.

• Lincoln was referring to the U.S. Constitution.

• Lincoln was referring to the Articles of Confederation.

• Lincoln was referring to the Magna Carta.

The long-held story that Lincoln hastily wrote the Gettysburg Address on his way to Gettysburg, PA, in November 1863, is NOT true. What is the correct story about how and when Lincoln wrote the speech?

• Lincoln wrote the whole speech prior to going to Gettysburg, PA, and didn't need to finish any of it the night before the ceremony.

• Lincoln did not write his own speeches. He probably had William Seward write the Gettysburg Address the night before he spoke at Gettysburg.

• Lincoln probably wrote half of it while still at the White House prior to November 19th. He may have written the other half of it the night before in consultation with William Seward, his Secretary of State.

• Lincoln wrote all of it on his way to Gettysburg in November 1863, except he didn't write it on the back of an envelope. He wrote it on White House stationary.

We learned that Lincoln was NOT the featured speaker listed for the dedication ceremony. Who was the guest speaker that day?

• William Seward

• Edwin Stanton

• Horace Greely

• Edward Everett

We learned in class that the Gettysburg Address is relatively short in length. Approximately how long is it?

• Depending on the manuscript, the Gettysburg Address is only 372-275 words long.

• Depending on the manuscript, the Gettysburg Address is only 272-275 words long.

• Depending on the manuscript, the Gettysburg Address is only 572-575 words long.

• Depending on the manuscript, the Gettysburg Address is only 172-175 words long.

Lincoln originally took up arms against the South to ______?

• preserve the Union

• end slavery

• see if Southerners would fight

• distract the nation away from the Republican Party