Fourscoreandsevenyearsago, ourfathersbroughtforthuponthiscontinentanewnation, conceivedinlibertyanddedicatedtothepropositionthatallmenarecreatedequal.

Now, weareengagedinagreatcivilwar, testingwhetherthatnationoranynationsoconceivedandsodedicated, canlongendure. Wearemetonagreatbattlefieldofthatwar. Wehavecometodedicateaportionofthatfieldasafinalresting-placeforthosewhoheregavetheirlivesthatthatnationmightlive. Itisaltogetherfittingandproperthatweshoulddothis.

But, inalargersense, wecannotdedicate, wecannotconsecrate, wecannothallowthisground. Thebravemen, livinganddead, whostruggledhere, haveconsecrateditfaraboveourpoorpowertoaddordetract. Theworldwilllittlenotenorlongrememberwhatwesayhere,butitcanneverforgetwhattheydidhere. Itisforus, theliving, rather, tobededicatedheretotheunfinishedworkwhichtheywhofoughtherehavethusfarsonoblyadvanced. Itisratherforustobeherededicatedtothegreattaskremainingbeforeus---thatfromthesehonoreddeadwetakeincreaseddevotiontothatcauseforwhichtheygavethelastfullmeasureofdevotion; thatweherehighlyresolvethatthesedeadshallnothavediedinvain;thatthisnation, underGod, shallhaveanewbirthoffreedom; andthatgovernmentofthepeople, bythepeople, andforthepeople, shallnotperishfromtheearth.