250 to 250: 57. Gettysburg Address, Narrated by Governor JB Pritzker

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Gettysburg Address, Narrated by Governor JB Pritzker

Governor JB Pritzker is Illinois’ 43rd Governor, elected in 2018 and reelected in 2022 with the highest vote share for any Democratic governor in more than 60 years. During his tenure, he has overcome years of fiscal mismanagement and made historic investments in education, healthcare, and economic opportunity while working to ensure Illinois remains a beacon of civil rights and freedom for the nation.

The American Civil War was fought between the Union and the Confederacy.

• On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln gave a speech at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
• The speech is called the Gettysburg Address.
• Lincoln spoke to about 15,000 people.
• The speech honored the soldiers who died in the Battle of Gettysburg.
• Lincoln said the nation must continue their work.
• He reminded Americans that all people are created equal.
• He hoped the country would have "a new birth of freedom."
• He said the government should be "of the people, by the people, for the people."
• Lincoln wanted the United States to stay united and free.
• Today, the Gettysburg Address is one of the most famous speeches in American history.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 9:34. Are you willing to take the full Oath of Allegiance to the United States?
• USCIS 100:75. What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?*
• USCIS 128:94. Abraham Lincoln is famous for many things. Name one. *

Family Fun:

• Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum: The Gettysburg Address playlist
• American Battlefield Trust: The Gettysburg Address: The Two-Minute Speech That Saved America | Augmented Reality
• Coloring Book Fun: Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address coloring page
• Illinois: Lincoln Historical Preservation Sites
• LOC: Gettysburg Address Online Exhibition
• NMAH: Gettysburg Address interactive exhibit
• NPS: Gettysburg National Military Park | Junior Ranger Activity Guide
• PBS: The Address by Ken Burns (The Address follows a group of students with special needs, such as dyslexia and ADHD as they prepare to recite the Gettysburg Address--very inspirational!) (stream or borrow the DVDs from your library)
• PBS: The Civil War by Ken Burns (10 part series--stream or borrow the DVDs from your library)
• USCIS: A More Perfect Union series: The Civics Test Guide to the Lincoln Memorial
• VOA News: 150th Anniversary of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address Marked at Battlefield