Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

VIDEO: U.S. Sens. Nelson And Rubio Recite Gettysburg Address

Florida's two U.S. Senators have submitted videos of themselves reciting the Gettysburg Address as part of a project from award-winning documentarian Ken Burns commemorating the speech's 150th anniversary.

The address was delivered by President Abraham Lincoln 150 years ago today.

In the lead up to the premiere of Burns’s latest film The Address, scheduled for April 15, 2014 on PBS, the filmmaker is challenging everyone in the country to learn the iconic speech.

The film tells the story of a small Vermont school for boys with learning differences and learning disabilities where each year students are encouraged to memorize, practice and recite the Gettysburg Address.

Watch Rubio and Nelson recite the speech below:

Tonight at 9 p.m., WJCT will air Lincoln@Gettysburg, which details how Lincoln re-invented leadership though his pioneering use of the telegraph — the internet of the 19th century — and how this revolution in communication shaped the Gettysburg Address.

Former Florida Governor and current gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist, Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and stars like Stephen Colbert and Louie CK have also submitted videos of their versions of the speech. You can see all the videos at LearnTheAddress.org

You can follow Patrick Donges on Twitter @patrickhdonges.

Patrick Donges served as WJCT's Digital Content Editor from August 2013 - August 2014.