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The Gettysburg Address is an unreleased American documentary film written, produced and directed by Sean Conant. The film examines the many influences upon and impacts of U.S. president Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, delivered in the midst of the American Civil War. A soundtrack and companion book to the documentary were released before the film.
Through interviews, period photographs, and archival audio and video, The Gettysburg Address traces the literary, political, and spiritual influences for Abraham Lincoln's historic speech—from Shakespearean cadences and biblical imagery rooted in the King James Bible, to the nationalistic oratory of American statesman Daniel Webster and the ideological stylings of reforming Boston minister Theodore Parker. Civil War soldier sacrifice and Lincoln's personal sufferings are also examined as additional influences for the speech, as well as the Victorian romanticism of death which prompted the rural cemetery movement and provided the inspiration for landscape architect William Saunders' design of the new cemetery in Gettysburg where Lincoln delivered the speech.
The film's wide-ranging themes are cohered by a main narrative centering around Lincoln at Gettysburg, beginning with his invitation to speak at the consecration of the new Soldiers' National Cemetery honoring the fallen heroes of the bloodiest battle in American history. The duress under which the townspeople of Gettysburg survived the battle and assisted in the gruesome aftermath is detailed. The middle of the film chronicles Lincoln's journey to, and footsteps through, Gettysburg—as he interacted with various figures; dined at the home of his host, Gettysburg lawyer David Wills; and continued to work on the speech he would deliver at the Soldiers National Cemetery the following day. The film closely examines the day of November 19, 1863—as Lincoln toured the Gettysburg battlefield, which prompted last-minute alterations of the speech; the procession of all parties from the Gettysburg town center to the cemetery; and the ceremony itself, which featured a main oration by the renowned Massachusetts statesman Edward Everett. The latter half of the film chronicles the legacy of the Gettysburg Address, highlighting historic invocations of the speech by various individuals and groups on their respective paths toward freedom and equality. Interviews with notable proponents of Women's Rights, Civil Rights, and LGBTQ rights are featured.
The documentary utilizes Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address as tools by which to enter into a greater examination and discussion of American democracy and equality.
The film was conceived in the spring of 2013—the sesquicentennial anniversary year of the Gettysburg Address—when Sean Conant and his father embarked on a journey across America to view the five extant copies of the speech. As the Conants traveled to various museums and repositories, speaking with scholars and conservationists they soon recognized that their quest to see the original copies of the speech might serve interestingly as a backdrop for a unique documentary. Sean began the process of requesting permissions to film private viewings of the original manuscripts at the Library of Congress, Cornell University, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, and The White House. Each of these institutions granted the Conants rare access for the purpose of filming the fragile documents for their production. [1] [2]
The film combines contemporary Civil War era accounts with modern anecdotes and insights from experts. The lengthy periods between the Conants' private filming sessions with the five copies of the speech were spent researching for and filming more than 50 interviews with figures such as Tom Brokaw, Laura Bush and George Takei, historians James M. McPherson, Eric Foner, Henry Louis Gates and Drew Gilpin Faust, authors Jeff Shaara, Brenda Wineapple and Eric Marcus, French ambassador Francois Delattre, US Senators Dick Durbin and Jeanne Shaheen, civil rights leader Andrew Young, and many more.
Contemporary quotes from historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Edward Everett, Charles Sumner, and Frederick Douglass are blended into the film's narrative, along with letters and diaries of soldiers, battlefield nurses, children, and Lincoln's friends and colleagues. Despite working with a very small budget, Conant assembled a large cast of popular actors to voice these and other historical figures from the Civil War era.
Marveling at the feat of a young Hollywood outsider gathering so many talented actors, Dermot Mulroney joked in a June 2015 magazine interview: "Sean contacted everybody in Hollywood. I don't even know how he did that. He's not from L.A. He's from New Hampshire! Those are the people I respect: the ones that can pull all that together with bubblegum and paper clips." [3]
A companion book of 16 scholarly essays which dig deeper into the film's new themes was published by Oxford University Press in May 2015, entitled The Gettysburg Address: Perspectives on Lincoln's Greatest Speech, was conceived and edited by Sean Conant during the process of filming with numerous Lincoln, Civil War and civil rights scholars, each of whom held a particular niche understanding of the varied themes that were being examined within the film. [4]
The book features offerings from scholars including Harold Holzer, Sean Wilentz, Allen Guelzo, and Raymond Arsenault.
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian James M. McPherson praised Conant's efforts, commenting that the book's essays "offer fresh and stimulating insights on the origins, meaning, impacts, and continuing relevance of the Address." [4] [ failed verification ]
On June 30, 2015, Hachette Book Group released the audiobook, read by Stephen Lang, Dermot Mulroney, Neal McDonough and Zachary Gordon, who also appear in the film. [4]
A soundtrack for the film was released by Milan Records in May 2015. [5] The album was produced by Sean Conant and features an orchestral score, contemporary Civil War era music, a new recording by renowned folk musician Jay Ungar, and David Morse's reading of the Gettysburg Address from the film.
Album liner notes written by Conant offer historical context for the Civil War era songs included in the film. A "Note From The Director" is also included, in which Conant describes the long and difficult process of finding musicians possessing the period instruments in which to create an authentic record of the songs for the film. He became impressed by the authenticity of President Lincoln's Own Band—an ensemble specializing in Civil War era music performance—when he heard them perform in Gettysburg at the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address. Conant asked them to record a collection of Civil War era songs for his film, and the band agreed. [5]
Conant's "Note" also explains the purpose of the hymn How Great Thou Art in the film, the emotive purpose the film required from the song, and the process of reaching out to folk musician Jay Ungar to record it.
Soundtrack Geek called the album "a superb surprise" [6]
No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Gettysburg Address (Main Title)" | Luke Richards | 3:49 |
2. | "Hail, Columbia" | President Lincoln's Own Band | 2:06 |
3. | "Conceived in Liberty" | Luke Richards | 3:36 |
4. | "Oh Freedom!" | The Golden Gospel Singers | 3:07 |
5. | "The Union March" | President Lincoln's Own Band | 2:22 |
6. | "Civil War/Emancipation" | Luke Richards | 3:27 |
7. | "Bonnie Blue Flag" | President Lincoln's Own Band | 1:10 |
8. | "Humble Origins" | Luke Richards | 1:31 |
9. | "The Battle Cry of Freedom" | President Lincoln's Own Band | 1:10 |
10. | "The Carnage of War" | Luke Richards | 3:28 |
11. | "We Are Coming, Father Abraham" | President Lincoln's Own Band | 1:58 |
12. | "Writing The Address" | Luke Richards | 4:11 |
13. | "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" | President Lincoln's Own Band | 2:33 |
14. | "These Honored Dead" | Luke Richards | 4:33 |
15. | "Consecration Dirge" | President Lincoln's Own Band | 2:28 |
16. | "Dixie" | President Lincoln's Own Band | 1:44 |
17. | "Assassination/The Legend Grows" | Luke Richards | 4:09 |
18. | "Abide With Me" | President Lincoln's Own Band | 1:04 |
19. | "Words For The Ages" | Luke Richards | 2:36 |
20. | "How Great Thou Art" | Jay Ungar | 2:33 |
21. | "Unfinished Work" | Luke Richards | 3:42 |
22. | "The Long Road to Freedom (End Credits)" | Luke Richards | 3:46 |
23. | "The Gettysburg Address" | David Morse | 2:03 |
The Gettysburg Address is a speech that U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivered during the American Civil War at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on the afternoon of Thursday, November 19, 1863, four and a half months after the Union armies defeated those of the Confederacy at the Battle of Gettysburg. It is one of the best-known speeches in American history.
Kenneth Lauren Burns is an American filmmaker, known for his style of using archival footage and photographs in documentary films. His widely known documentary series include The Civil War (1990), Baseball (1994), Jazz (2001), The War (2007), The National Parks: America's Best Idea (2009), Prohibition (2011), The Roosevelts (2014), The Vietnam War (2017), and Country Music (2019). He was also executive producer of both The West, and Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies.
The Civil War is a 1990 American television documentary miniseries created by Ken Burns about the American Civil War. It was first broadcast on PBS on five consecutive nights from September 23 to 28, 1990. More than 39 million viewers tuned in to at least one episode, and viewership averaged more than 14 million viewers each evening, making it the most-watched program ever to air on PBS. It was awarded more than 40 major television and film honors. A companion book to the documentary was released shortly after the series aired.
Andrew Gregg Curtin was a U.S. lawyer and politician. He served as the Governor of Pennsylvania during the Civil War.
The Gettysburg National Military Park protects and interprets the landscape of the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. Located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the park is managed by the National Park Service. The GNMP properties include most of the Gettysburg Battlefield, many of the battle's support areas during the battle, and several other non-battle areas associated with the battle's "aftermath and commemoration", including the Gettysburg National Cemetery. Many of the park's 43,000 American Civil War artifacts are displayed in the Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center.
Dermot Mulroney is an American actor, musician, and voice actor. He is best known for his roles in romantic comedy, western, and drama films. Appearing on screen since the mid-1980s, he is known for his work in films such as Young Guns (1988), Staying Together (1989), Where the Day Takes You (1992), Point of No Return (1993), Angels in the Outfield (1994), My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), About Schmidt (2002), The Wedding Date (2005), August: Osage County (2013), Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015), and the HBO films The Last Outlaw (1993) and Long Gone (1987). Mulroney played the main antagonist Francis Gibson in NBC's Crisis, Dr. Walter Wallace in Pure Genius, Sean Pierce in Showtime's Shameless and Bobby Sheridan in USA's The Purge.
William Roedel Rathvon, CSB,, sometimes incorrectly referred to as William V. Rathvon or William V. Rathbone, is the only known eyewitness to Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, of the over 10,000 witnesses, to have left an audio recording describing that experience. He made the recording in 1938, a year before his death. A graduate of Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and a successful businessman, he became a practitioner of Christian Science healing, served as a public lecturer, Church treasurer and director of The First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston, Massachusetts. He was treasurer from 1911 until he was elected to the Church's Board of Directors, on which he served from 1918 until his death in 1939. From 1908 to 1910 he was correspondence secretary for Christian Science founder Mary Baker Eddy. He also authored "The Devil's Auction" often republished without attribution as "The Devil's Garage Sale".
David McConaughy was a noted attorney, state senator, cemetery president, and civic leader in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as well as a part-time intelligence officer for the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was a driving force behind the creation of the Gettysburg National Cemetery following the Battle of Gettysburg. He also led early efforts to preserve the Gettysburg Battlefield for future generations.
Since his death in 1865, Abraham Lincoln has been an iconic American figure depicted—usually favorably or heroically—in many forms. Lincoln has often been portrayed by Hollywood, almost always in a flattering light.
Gabor S. Boritt is an American historian. He was the Robert Fluhrer Professor of Civil War Studies and Director of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College. Born and raised in Hungary, he participated as a teenager in the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 against the Soviet Union before escaping to America, where he received his higher education and became a scholar of Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War. He is the author, co-author, or editor of 16 books about Lincoln or the War. Boritt received the National Humanities Medal in 2008 from President George W. Bush.
Allen Carl Guelzo is an American historian who serves as the Henry R. Luce III Professor of the Civil War Era at Gettysburg College, where he serves as Director of the Civil War Era Studies Program.
The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (ALBC) was the Congressionally created 14-member federal commission focused on planning and commemorating the 200th birthday of the United States' 16th president on February 12, 2009. The commission served for ten years, from 2000 to 2010. Its official successor organization, announced in 2011 with an expanded board and broadened mission, is The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation.
David Wills was the principal figure in the establishment of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. As a result of his efforts, the Gettysburg Address was given by Abraham Lincoln. Wills was Lincoln's host while in Gettysburg, and the Gettysburg Address was completed in the large upstairs bedroom occupied by the President during his brief stay in the town.
Harold Holzer is a scholar of Abraham Lincoln and the political culture of the American Civil War Era. He serves as director of Hunter College's Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute. Holzer previously spent twenty-three years as senior vice president for public affairs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York before retiring in 2015.
Gettysburg may refer to:
Alexander Bliss was assistant quartermaster general of the Union forces and a colonel in the United States Army during the American Civil War. His father, also named Alexander, died before he was born; and his mother, Elizabeth Davis Bliss, later married George Bancroft, the eminent American historian.
The Consecration of the Soldiers' National Cemetery was the ceremony at which U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863. In addition to the 15,000 spectators, attendees included six state governors: Andrew Gregg Curtin of Pennsylvania, Augustus Bradford of Maryland, Oliver P. Morton of Indiana, Horatio Seymour of New York, Joel Parker of New Jersey, and David Tod of Ohio. Reporters present included Joseph Gilbert, Charles Hale, John Russell Young ; and Cincinnati Commercial, New York Tribune, & The New York Times reporters.
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Everett School, also known as Davis Addition School, is a historic building located in Sioux City, Iowa, United States. Davis Addition School opened in 1888. It was named for the subdivision in which it was located. The original section of the building is composed of four rooms, and it cost $12,500 to build. It was renamed "Everett" in February of the following year, possibly after Edward Everett, the United States Senator from Massachusetts who gave the main speech at the Gettysburg National Cemetery dedication, the day that Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. The gymnasium and additional classroom space was added in 1917. The auditorium was added in 1940, and the building has been modernized over the years. Both Everett and Smith Elementary schools were closed in 2011, with their students going to the new Liberty Elementary School. Arch Icon Development of Woodbine, Iowa acquired the building and is in the process of converting it into apartments. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.