On November 14, R&E invited students and tutors from New York Avenue Presbyterian Church’s after-school tutoring program, Community Club, to recite the Gettysburg Address in honor of its 150th anniversary. The club meets at the church every week and provides dinner, academic tutoring, and mentorship to DC students ranging in age from 5 to 18. New York Avenue Presbyterian is also the church where President Lincoln rented a pew and sometimes attended services. The Gettysburg Address, described by historians as “the sacred scripture of the Civil War’s innermost spiritual meaning,” was delivered at Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on November 19, 1863.
Since our esteemed president didn’t even think it was worth attending the ceremony, how important can the Gettysburg Address actually be? After all, Lincoln just saved the union and freed the slaves. Obama was working on keeping Democrats in the Senate from revolting due to Obamacare. Priorities, people, priorities.