Tag: Ken Burns

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Why Did President Obama Omit ‘Under God’ from the Gettysburg Address When 63 Other Prominent Americans Included It?

georgepwood

For the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, Ken Burns asked a number of prominent Americans to recite the Gettysburg Address on camera. You may or may not know that there are five extant copies of the address in Lincoln’s hand—the so-called Nicolay, Hay, Everett, Bancroft, and Bliss copies (listed in chronological order of production). The Nicolay copy was the first draft of the speech, prepared before Lincoln delivered it. The Hay, Everett, Bancroft, and Bliss copies were prepared after he delivered it. There are a variety of differences between these copies. For our purposes, the most important difference is … Continue reading Why Did President Obama Omit ‘Under God’ from the Gettysburg Address When 63 Other Prominent Americans Included It?

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Obama Leaves Out ‘Under God’ in His Recitation of the Gettysburg Address [UPDATED]

georgepwood

Ken Burns has posted a video of President Barack Obama reciting the Gettysburg Address. Amazingly, the president fails to recite the words under God in the phrase, “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom.” I’m not sure why President Obama deleted this phrase. (I’ll leave that to conspiracy mongers.) There are five copies of the Gettysburg Address from Lincoln’s lifetime, known as the Bliss, Nicolay, Hay, Everett, and Bancroft copies. The Bliss copy–the only one with Lincoln’s signature on it–is generally considered authoritative. It and the Everett and Bancroft copies contain the words under God, while the … Continue reading Obama Leaves Out ‘Under God’ in His Recitation of the Gettysburg Address [UPDATED]