Pulitzer Prize, General Nonfiction, 1993There is perhaps no more compelling example of the power of words than Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. In merely 272 words, Lincoln gave the nation "a new birth of freedom" by tracing its history to the Declaration of Independence, as well as incorporating elements of the Greek revival and Transcendentalism. Lincoln's entire life and deep political experience went into the creation of his revolutionary masterpiece. By examining both the Address and Lincoln in their historical and cultural context, noted historian Garry Wills breathes news life into words we thought we knew and reveals much about a President so easily mythologized but often misunderstood.
