Ken Burns visited KQED on December 6, 2013. We had a chance to sit down with him and discuss his thoughts on the Gettysburg Address and get his interpretation of how President Lincoln would view the state of the Nation today. Four score and seven years ago ... well actually, 150 years ago -- on November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered his now legendary Gettysburg Address in. A mere 273 words in length, in honor of the soldiers who fought in one of the most important battles of the Civil War, the speech became one of the most influential speeches in American history. Emphasizing the ideal of human equality underscored in the Declaration of Independence, called for a "new birth of freedom" in the aftermath of the vast degree of suffering and sacrifice wrought by the Civil War. To commemorate the anniversary, documentary filmmaker Ken Burns embarked on the Gettysburg project, challenging people around the country, particularly students, to memorize and recite the address in its entirety. Participants are encouraged to submit their videos to learntheaddress.org . Public figures, celebrities and the five living U.S. presidents have all partaken.