385 The Gettysburg Address

The History of Literature

Jacke Wilson

Arts, History, Books

4.6 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 24 February 2022

⏱️ 81 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In November of 1863, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln boarded a train for Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. His heart was heavy with the cost of two years of a bitter civil war, his body fatigued and feverish from what was likely the onset of smallpox. In the midst of personal grief and political turmoil, he drafted and delivered one of the greatest political speeches ever written. In roughly 270 words, the Gettysburg Address (or "America's Gospel," as Tom Brokaw called it) managed to pay tribute to fallen soldiers, dedicate a cemetery in their honor, and crystallize the central dilemma at the heart of the American experiment. In this episode, Jacke looks at ten sentences that defined a nation and asked it to look deeply into its past, its future, and its soul. Additional listening ideas: For more on race in America, try our three-part series on the dispute between James Baldwin and William Faulkner, starting with Baldwin v Faulkner. Like presidential history? We talked about Thomas Jefferson in our episode on Phillis Wheatley and in our conversation on The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature with Farah Jasmine Griffin. In the mood for something different? You might like the episode in which Jacke and Mike revisit J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye. Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/shop. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at www.thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The History of Literature podcast is a member of the Podglomerate Network and LitHub radio.
0:07.0	Hey folks, it's Jack.
0:11.0	Do you ever find yourself wondering about the little mysteries in life?
0:15.0	Like how refrigeration happened?
0:17.0	Or just how many times did the CIA try to assassinate Fidel Castro anyway?
0:23.0	If you find yourself going down rabbit holes like these, then I recommend a trip to the
0:28.0	podcast, History of Everything, hosted by history lover Steven Bell and scientist Gabby Bell,
0:35.0	the show dives into all the cool but weird little details that make our world what it is today.
0:41.0	You can count on them to cover literally the history of everything, from potatoes to the crusades.
0:48.0	So don't miss out.
0:50.0	Listen to history of everything wherever you get your podcasts and tell them I sent you.
0:55.0	Hey folks, it's Jack here to talk about the History of Literature podcast.
1:00.0	No, not to ask you to listen, but to ask you to consider becoming a patron through our Patreon account.
1:07.0	Producer Emma and I are extremely grateful to all our patrons, and this month we'd like to invite you to become a patron too.
1:14.0	The money you share helps us to cover the costs of hosting, editing, and generally putting out the best version of this humble little podcast that we can.
1:23.0	If you're finding some value in the history of literature and you're willing to send us a little something each month, we would appreciate it.
1:30.0	Think of it as buying us a coffee each month.
1:33.0	Only if you can afford it, of course.
1:35.0	That's patreon.com slash literature, or if you'd like to make a one-time donation,
1:40.0	a lump sum with no questions asked.
1:43.0	You can do that at historyofliterature.com slash donate.
1:47.0	That's patreon.com slash literature, or historyofliterature.com slash donate.
	...

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