How to Memorize Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

The words of the Gettysburg Address are engraved on the Lincoln Memorial in Washington.

Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address in 1863 has been called one of the greatest speeches in American history. It summed up in a few paragraphs why the bloody battles of the Civil War meant so much to America, and why America was worth preserving. It took Lincoln about two minutes to deliver the speech. The opening words, Four score and seven years ago, are familiar to most people. The rest may be remembered with a little musical help.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• A copy of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address
• a familiar song

1. Make a copy of the speech from any historical book or website covering the Civil War era.

2. Have a partner read you one line of the text at a time. Sing one line over and over to the melody of any familiar tune until you can do it without any mistakes. Add a second line, then the next line, until you are able to sing a paragraph without any mistakes.

3. Once you are able to sing the words, sing a line and then speak it out. Keep going until you have the whole speech memorized.

Tips & Warnings

• Singing will help you memorize almost any piece of text.

References

• Avalon Project: Gettysburg Address