In this talk about the Gettysburg Address, Humes, an American historian, goes behind the scenes and reveals untold secrets.  Why did Lincoln’s wife beg him not to go to Gettysburg?  Why was Lincoln sent only a last minute invitation?  What phrase that was not in his prepared remarks did Lincoln ad-lib as he was delivering his address?  Why was there no applause?  How did the Gettysburg Address change the meaning of the Fourth of July?

This speech emanated from Humes’ tenure as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow at the Center of International Scholars at the Smithsonian when he wrote his book, “My Fellow Americans,” Presidential Addresses that Shaped History (1992).

James Humes’ book, The Wit and Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln, was published by Harper/Collins in 1996.  Random House released it again in 2000.

In 19993, Humes delivered this talk as a floodlit ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial, marking the 130th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address.  Humes was introduced by Winston Churchill, the grandson of the British Minister.

The talk is an inspirational recreation of Lincoln’s speech preparation, his train trip to Gettysburg and his cemetery delivery of the world’s most memorized speech – what Carl Sandburg called “the Great American Poem.”

On July, 4, 1996, Humes delivered this talk as a sermon in Canterbury Cathedral in England at Evensong.