美國總統(tǒng)伯拉罕·林肯1863年11月19日，正值美國內(nèi)戰(zhàn)中葛底斯堡戰(zhàn)役結束后四個半月，在賓夕法尼亞州葛底斯堡的葛底斯堡國家公墓揭幕式中發(fā)表演說，哀悼在長達5個半月的葛底斯堡之役中陣亡的將士。該演說是林肯最著名的演說，也是美國歷史上為人引用最多之政治性演說，是美國最偉大的演說之一。
Fourscore and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now, we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us---that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
87年前，我們的先輩們在這個大陸上創(chuàng)立了一個新國家，它孕育于自由之中，奉行一切人生來平等的原則?，F(xiàn)在我們正從事一場偉大的內(nèi)戰(zhàn)，以考驗這個國家，或者任何一個孕育于自由和奉行上述原則的國家是否能夠長久存在下去。我們在這場戰(zhàn)爭中的一個偉大戰(zhàn)場上集會。烈士們?yōu)槭惯@個國家能夠生存下去而獻出了自己的生命，我們來到這里，是要把這個戰(zhàn)場的一部分奉獻給他們作為最后安息之所。我們這樣做是完全應該而且是非常恰當?shù)摹? 但是，從更廣泛的意義上來說，這塊土地我們不能夠奉獻，不能夠圣化，不能夠神化。那些曾在這里戰(zhàn)斗過的勇士們，活著的和去世的，已經(jīng)把這塊土地圣化了，這遠不是我們微薄的力量所能增減的。我們今天在這里所說的話，全世界不大會注意，也不會長久地記住，但勇士們在這里所做過的事，全世界卻永遠不會忘記。毋寧說，倒是我們這些還活著的人，應該在這里把自己奉獻于勇士們已經(jīng)如此崇高地向前推進但尚未完成的事業(yè)。倒是我們應該在這里把自己奉獻于仍然留在我們面前的偉大任務——我們要從這些光榮的死者身上汲取更多的獻身精神，來完成他們已經(jīng)完全徹底為之獻身的事業(yè)；我們要在這里下定最大的決心，不讓這些死者白白犧牲；我們要使國家在上帝福佑下得到自由的新生，要使這個民有、民治、民享的政府永世長存。