The Night Before Gettysburg

Perhaps even Abraham Lincoln had writers block as he prepared his Gettysburg Address. Under the weight of trying to unite and heal a country in conflict, this three-minute speech is heralded as one of the five top speeches in American history.

For a look inside Lincoln’s thoughts as he finishes writing the famous speech, the Fergus Falls Public Library is hosting playwright, Chuck Johnson, in his own, award-winning one-act play “The Night Before Gettysburg.” The free event is Wednesday, November 13 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. and will be followed by a time for Q&A and Abraham Lincoln history. Johnson suggests the play is well suited for an audience age nine and up.

 Curious about the other four speeches rounding out the top five in American History according to the Constitution Center? They are Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty or Give me Death,” George Washington’s first inaugural address, Frederick Douglass’s “The Hypocrisy of American Slavery,” and William Jennings Bryan “Cross of Gold.”  Source: www.constitutioncenter.org/blog/looking-at-10-great-speeches-in-american-history