it was a little over two hours.
At the dedication of Gettysburg, Edward Everett, preceded Lincoln with a 2 hour speech.
The orator Edward Everett spoke before Lincoln did for several hours - about what I don't know. I don't know if that speech still exists today. tom Engler
Edward Everett
President Lincoln gave his famous 2 minute Gettysburg Address, at the dedication of the national cemetery but the Gettysburg Address was NOT the opening speech, at the dedication. The opening speech was made by Edward Everett, a noted orator from Massachusetts; it lasted 2 hours, followed by President Lincoln's 2 minute address.
The main speaker was Edward Everett, a popular politician from Massachusetts, and his speech lasted about 2 to 2 and a half hours, unlike Lincoln's whose only lasted about 2 and a half minutes.
Edward Everett
It is about the Civil War in North America. His speech was not only talking about the dead soldiers but also trying to stop slavery in North America.
They could not move the ponderous body of the dead cyclops, and were forced to climb around it. After the ponderous speech by Edward Everett, Lincoln's brief remarks were likely a relief to the crowd.
Abraham Lincoln was invited to speak at the dedication of the National Soldiers Cemetery at Gettysburg. He was told in the invitation letter that he would only have a small part in the dedication. Originally to open October 23, 1863, the date was postponed at the request of the main speaker, Edward Everett. A noted speaker of the era, Everett asked the committee to postpone the event to allow him to prepare a suitable speech. The dedication committee agreed and the ceremony was moved to November 19th. President Lincoln was invited only a few days before the event.
The person who delivered the Gettysburg Address in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on November 19th of 1863 was Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865). Serving as President of the United States at that time, a time in which North and South were engaged in the American Civil War, Lincoln's brief but powerful speech has become iconic in American society -- and even beyond.
The Gettysburg Address was a speech by President Lincoln to dedicate a cemetery for fallen soldiers. It was a short speech that many think is the best speech a US president has ever given. Lincoln's speech was highly metaphysical and gave honor to the soldiers who fought and died at the Battle of Gettysburg. Lincoln made it clear that there was much at stake for the United States and the government that had been created so long ago. Lincoln used "four score and seven years" to indicate he was not referring to the US Constitution but to the Declaration of Independence.
US President Abraham Lincoln was invited to the dedication of the Gettysburg cemetery where thousands of soldiers had been buried as a result of the large scale three day battle that had occurred there in the previous Summer of 1863. It is called the Battle of Gettysburg. Lincoln was not the principle speaker, and historians make it clear that Lincoln was invited out of pure courtesy and as a formality. The key speaker was Edward Everett, known as the greatest orator of his time. Nevertheless, President Lincoln made a remarkable speech which took about two minutes. By comparison, Everett spoke for almost two hours.Lincoln's short speech contained ten sentences and is remembered as one of the best and most touching speeches ever given. Certainly the best speech of the Civil War, and must rank as one of America's finest speeches ever given. American students and historians have made the speech by Lincoln, known as the Gettysburg Address, a speech to be studied for the purpose of understanding how Lincoln felt about the terrible war and how it affected the United States.