With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

Google project shows how Gettysburg Address evolved

You can quote its opening line. You can probably quote its conclusion. You may even know that the famous speech, as delivered by President Abraham Lincoln 150 years ago, lasted only about two minutes.

But how much do you really know about the Gettysburg Address?

Despite the legend that the famous speech was scrawled on the back of an envelope on the train to Gettysburg, a new project from Google’s Cultural Institute presents five drafts of the discourse in Lincoln’s handwriting that show how it evolved into the version that schoolchildren across the country have committed to memory today....

Read entire article at Washington Post