American History

Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, delivered on November 19, 1863, at the dedication of a soldiers’ cemetery, is a brief but towering reflection on why a nation might be worth dying for. Where Pericles praised the glory and cultural excellence of Athens, Lincoln roots American sacrifice in a moral “proposition” — that all men are created equal — and in the hope of a “new birth of freedom.” In just a few sentences, he shifts the focus from honor and fame to equality, self-government, and unfinished work. The dead at Gettysburg, he insists, consecrate the nation’s resolve that “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, laying down core protections for individual liberty and limits on government power. In this reading, you’ll hear the original text that secures freedoms of speech, religion, and the press, safeguards against unreasonable searches and cruel punishments, and preserves the right to bear arms and to a fair trial. These amendments began as a response to fears of centralized authority—but have become a cornerstone of American political and legal life.