A copy of the Gettysburg Address is now on display at the Library of Congress.
As part of “The Civil War in America” exhibit, the John Hay copy of the speech will be on display in the Thomas Jefferson Building beginning Friday and lasting through May 4.
After delivering the world-famous address in 1863, former President Abraham Lincoln gave two of the five known manuscripts to his secretaries, John Hay and John Nicolay. The other three copies were written by Lincoln for charitable purposes. The library now holds two copies of the speech.
The 16th president delivered his world-famous address at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pa., on Nov. 19, 1863. The cemetery is a site for more than 3,500 soldiers killed in the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War.
The exhibit has been on display at the library since November 2012, and will remain open until January 2014. More than 200 items commemorating a time of military and political upheaval in the country during the 19th century are showcased.
Michele Richinick