The Patriot & Union Newspaper in Harrisburg (the precursor to The Patriot-News) wrote in November 1863 that Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address was “silly” and deserving “a veil of oblivion.” The paper issued a retraction in November 2013. The Gettysburg Address is considered one of the greatest political speeches of all time, explaining America’s critical challenges in their historical context succinctly while paying tribute to the men who had died in the face of those challenges.
As attorneys we understand that not everything we write is going to be memorable or for that matter inspiring! But Honest Abe, an attorney for over 25 years, wrote this memorable and inspiring speech and it was panned by a critic. As Lincoln wrote: “the world will little not, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” We remember Abe. We remember. Read the Gettysburg Address here.
