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The Gettysburg Address

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On November 19th of 1863, at the official dedication ceremony for the National Cemetery of Gettysburg located in Pennsylvania. Abraham Lincoln gave what has since been referred to as The Gettysburg Address. This was given at the location of one of the civil wars most important and bloody battles. Lincoln was not supposed to give a public speech that day, but when given the invitation he did not turn it down. After Edward Everett's 2 hour speech Lincoln stood up to a crowd of nearly 15,000, and gave his speech of 273 words in less than 2 minutes. In it, he brought attention to principles of human equality within our own declaration of independence and the importance of preserving the union. Though the Gettysburg Address is said to be one of history’s most significant speeches. Modern scholars cannot agree as to what the exact wording of the speech was. The Dred Scott v. Stanford or better known as the Dred Scott Supreme Court Case was one of the most controversial events leading up to the Civil War. In This case, Dred Scott, a slave who had previously lived with his owner, John Emerson, in free states and territories, had now retuned to a slave state. Dredd Scott testified that because he spent time in these locations he was entitled to emancipation. Dred Scott was essentially suing for his freedom. He won his case in lower court, but unfortunately a strong supporter of slavery, and Chief Justice of the supreme court case, Roger B. Taney, disagreed with Scott. On March 6,

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