Sam Waterston Reads The Gettysburg Address

[RMELIFER]

Sam Waterston is awesome and all these are versions of the Gettysburg Address are great, but the Ken Burns Civil War version beats any other reciting. Why can't that version get on Youtube?! Probably PBS has the rights to it, but it's still the best. Search on for that one chapter of the Civil War series under the chapter "New Birth of Freedom" and you'll see what I'm talking about.

[pencil20000]

I want Sam Waterston to read me bedtime stories. What a wonderful voice!

[brecky]

There's a good article on the smithsonian site about what Lincoln sounded like, if anyone's interested.

[Arm2]

Not a very good reading. Sound quality is poor and Sam Watersons reading sounded so monotone. He sounds half asleep while reading it. I watch Law and Order alot. Hes given more passionate and devoted speeches while acting in fictional court cases. He cant read one of the most important speeches given by a real president but can on a TV show?

[trlkly]

@Arm2 Because he's trying to be authentic.

[BigTulsa]

The keynote speaker, Edward Everett, spoke for two hours before President Lincoln made this 2 minute speech. Afterwards, Everett said: , "I should be glad if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes."

[HopeBattin1]

if i replay this in my sleep will i know it by tomorrow, ? because i have to recite this to my teacher only missing three words until she starts marking my grade off D:

[TheOnlyYvonne]

I enjoyed it! Sam does wverything with ease.

[bugsbunny2022]

And to think that the journalists of those times described at as wishy washy nonsense. Shame on them. This will last as long as the English language prevails.

[guyfroml]

Note in the famous last sentence, Waterston properly emphasizes the words "people" not "of , by and for" as so many readers mistakenly do. Lincoln was trying to tell us the key to our freedom not perishing was in the hand of the "people."

Also, I always felt Sam Waterston is the only actor that could have reprived the role of Atticus Finch.

[onlyKnifes]

@hpprinter12345 if lincoln didn't putMaryland under military controll then Mary land wouldv'e proabibly joined the confederacy. guess where our nations capitol is? between virginia and Maryland. plus lincoln didn't wage war on the southern states. he declared that they were in open rebellion, which they were. Also the constitution says that the president is commander in cheif of the military. he didnt need congressional consent. the last war congress officially declared war was world war two

[dvictorbrown]

@onlyKnifes there were no constitutional prohibitions against secession. Furthermore, there have been armed hostilities between individual localities and the armed forces throughout our history that did not result in a war. So it may well be that rebellion was probably a pretext for war. The game just keeps on playing itself it seems.

[bookkeeper57]

Written on the back of an envelope on the train to Gettysburg. Delivered in two and a half minutes, before the event photographer was ready to take his picture. No one can remember what else anyone said at the dedication of Gettysburg.

[bookkeeper57]

Sam Waterston was the voice of Lincoln in Ken Burns' documentary of the Civil War.

[whitejackt]

I had to memorize this speech in the 5th grade. I am 35 now and still remember it, One of the best speeches given by the greatest president in US history

[Finallythankyou]

Sam Waterston rules son. Don't you forget that.

[americanHapa]

great quality!

i have to memorize it too

[murphy3162]

Not only is this amazing but I got the 9001 view

It's finally over nine thousand

[petarjuric]

i have to do a recital on this. Ugh... But nice vid though!