However, the speech was soon recognized as a masterpiece. It became an eloquent embodiment of the ideas of freedom, democracy, and equality, and of the sacrifices made to maintain, and improve, those things. Down through the ages, its words have been interpreted countless different ways and for many different purposes. It has been memorized by countless schoolchildren, and I can recite it from memory.

Within my lifetime, the words of the Gettysburg Address have been used on both the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and at the pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989. It’s been used in advertising and in political campaigns and speeches, including Obama’s. The immortal and multicultural nature of the Gettysburg Address inspired me to create this T-shirt.

I made each of the 272 words of the speech (in red on the T-shirt) a different font, to reflect different eras and different cultures. I spent many hours tweaking the fonts to get them to play well together and look nice. I added this on top of a large blue picture of Abraham Lincoln, along the right side of his face. The picture of Lincoln is based off a portrait of him taken on November 8, 1863, 11 days before he gave the Gettysburg Address. I felt it was fitting and proper to use a portrait of Lincoln that was taken at around the same time as the address.

As finishing touches, I added Lincoln’s signature, the date (November 19, 1863), and the title, “Address Delivered at the Cemetery at Gettysburg”. This is from the so-called “Bliss copy” of the address, the last revision Lincoln made of the address and the text most commonly used as the standard text for the address.

Now you can contribute to the immortality of the address – and of the man who gave it – by wearing them both on a T-shirt. Neat, isn’t it? Check out the Lincoln Apparel website and my Etsy shop for my new Lincoln "Immortal Words at Gettysburg" T-shirts. The T-shirts are screen printed, and they are 100% cotton and are made right here in the U.S.A.

Here’s some more fun facts about the Gettysburg Address:

* There are only 10 sentences in the Gettysburg Address.
* Lincoln likely spent several weeks working on his address. Lincoln was known to take his time writing speeches, polishing them until they were “perfect”.
* No, Lincoln didn’t write it on the back of an envelope on the train to Gettysburg. The ride was bumpy and it was only 70 minutes long. In addition, none of the surviving copies appear on an envelope and the earliest known copy is on White House stationery.
* Lincoln likely did finish working on his address at the Wills House, where he stayed in Gettysburg the night before the speech.
* There are 5 different surviving copies of the address in Lincoln’s hand known today. These are known as the Nicolay, Hay, Everett, Bancroft, and Bliss copies (in that order). They all differ slightly. Supposedly there is a 6th copy (the delivery copy) of the address in Lincoln’s hand but it has not been found.
* The Everett copy is the one that the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum here in Springfield has.
* The Nicolay and Hay copies are at the Library of Congress. The Bancroft copy is at Cornell University, and the Bliss copy is in the Lincoln Bedroom at the White House (which was Lincoln’s office during his time).
* The words “under God” were added in the Everett copy.
* The last three copies were made as souvenirs. The Bliss copy was made because the Bancroft copy did not fit the format the printer was going to use properly. The dates and the titles were added in these.

Enjoy the new T-shirts and have some Lincoln fun!

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*Springfield Marine Bank: This is located on the east side of the square. The “Springfield Marine Bank” facade and columns in this structure date to the Lincoln era. Lincoln held a bank account at the Springfield Marine Bank when he lived in Springfield. In fact, the ledger where his account records were kept is on public display inside the building (now Chase Bank). In Lincoln’s day, the county courthouse was just to the north of this building (at the southeast corner of 6th and Washington). Today, the Chase Bank building occupies this spot.

*Lincoln Depot: This small brick depot at 10th and Monroe is the place in Springfield where Lincoln left to assume the Presidency. Here, he gave a very emotional farewell address to a crowd of over 1,000 citizens as he was about to leave his hometown. It is one of the few impromptu speeches that Lincoln gave; in most cases Lincoln spent weeks preparing speeches. Its unusual impromptu nature suggests the emotions Lincoln felt about his hometown and its people as he was about to leave and see Springfield for the last time. We know what he said (pretty much anyway) because newspaper reporters on the train asked him to write it down after he left. The entire speech is engraved into a stone plaque visible to the right of the depot. It is also listed on a “Looking for Lincoln” storyboard visible in front of the depot, and on a marker just to the west on the 900 block of East Monroe (not visible in the picture). There is a small museum inside the depot today, and the depot has been restored (as much as possible) to look like it did on February 11, 1861, the day Lincoln left Springfield.

I’ve always thought it would be neat if this was still a functional depot (the tracks still run right by it, and the city wants to place the new high speed rail corridor on 10th Street, something I support) but that is a topic for another post.

*Skyline from the 14th Street Bridge over Clear Lake Avenue: This is probably one of the best unobstructed views of the Springfield skyline in the city. You can see many of the buildings that characterize modern Springfield from here. You can see the County Building, the Hilton and President Abraham Lincoln Hotels, the Illinois Building, the new and old State Capitol buildings, the Horace Mann building, the St. Nicholas Hotel, the Union Station clock tower, and even the top of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. I have a tradition of using this shot as an “introduction” to Springfield on the cover of the first Lincoln Land 80s CD, since many people enter Springfield via Clear Lake and see some of this skyline on their way into the city.

*Illinois Building: This 15-story Art Deco office building, located at the northeast corner of 6th and Adams, is the third tallest building in Springfield. On the first floor, it contains street-level retail and restaurants. I believe Barack Obama’s Springfield office is in this building. At night, the top of this building lights up. I took this picture from Adams Street at around sunset, just after the light at the top of the building turned on.

*Skyline from the 700 Block of East Madison Street: Taken at night, to capture the lights on in the Hilton and President Abraham Lincoln Hotels and in the Illinois Building. You can also see some of the historic buildings on the west side of 7th Street from here.

*Hilton Hotel: Look up, up, up… This towering 30-story hotel is the second tallest building in Springfield. Only the State Capitol (the new one) is taller. I took this at night (from near 7th and Adams, where the hotel is located) to capture the pretty lights on in the hotel. If you go to the 30th floor of this hotel, you can get some truly incredible views of the city and beyond.

Pictures from the last week:

Springfield Marine Bank	Lincoln Depot
Skyline from the 14th Street Bridge over Clear Lake Avenue	Illinois Building
Skyline from the 700 Block of East Madison Street	Hilton Hotel

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