On November 19th, 1863, Abraham Lincoln went to Gettysburg in Pennsylvania to speak at the National Soldiers Cemetery. The Civil War was still going on. There was much (47) _________ of President Lincoln at the time. He was not at all popular. He had been invited to speak at Gettysburg only out of courtesy. The principal speaker was to be Edward Everett, a famous statesman and speaker of the day. Everett was a handsome man and very (48) _________everywhere.
It is said that Lincoln (49) _______ his speech on the train while going to Gettysburg. Late that night, alone in his hotel room and tired out, he again worked (50)________ on the speech. The next day Everett spoke first. He spoke for an hour and 57 minutes. His speech was a (51) _________ example of the rich oratory of the day. Then Lincoln rose. The crowd of 15,000 people at first paid little (52) _________to him. He spoke for only nine minutes. At the end there was little (53) _________. Lincoln turned to a friend and remarked, "I have failed again." On the train back to Washington he (54) _______ sadly, "That speech was a flat failure, and the people are (55) _________."
Some newspapers at first criticized the speech. But little by little, as people read the speech, they began to understand better. They began to (56) ________ its simplicity and its deep meaning. It was a speech which only Abraham Lincoln could have made.
Today, every American school child learns Lincoln’’s Gettysburg Address by heart. Now everyone thinks of it as one of the greatest orations ever given in American history.
WORD BANK
A) disappointed B) briefly C) appreciate D) criticism E) change
F) attention G) persists H) perfect I) component J) commented
K) prepared L) responsible M) success N) popular O) applause