As a testament to the enduring power of belief in the ideas enshrined in America’s founding, the Gettysburg Address was President Lincoln’s evocation of equality and sacrifice that has reverberated throughout American history. There are five manuscript drafts; two at the Library of Congress, one at Cornell University, one in the Illinois State Historical Library, and one in the Lincoln Room at the White House.
All copies were written in iron gall ink; each institution has taken steps to ensure the documents’ survival through conservation treatment.
The two copies in the Library of Congress are encased in argon-gas-filled micro-climate chambers, much like the Charters of Freedom. Keeping the document in a very specific environment aids in slowing the deterioration of the ink. As with all of the world’s most important documents, the manuscripts are closely monitored for changes in condition.
The manuscript copy of the Address at Cornell University is kept under similarly strict environmental controls; in a five part series, conservator Michele Hamill describes the challenges and importance of caring for such a document.
The Emancipation Proclamation stands as one of the most important documents in American history; it shifted the course of the Civil War by dismantling the foundations of slavery in the South and paving the way for the 13th Amendment to officially end the practice. Like so many other crucial documents, the drafts were written in iron gall ink before being printed for distribution.
One copy of the draft resides at the Library of Congress; conservation efforts have been periodic and ongoing, and focus once again on strict environmental controls.
A manuscript copy of the 13th Amendment, signed by President Lincoln, is also on display at Cornell and underwent rehousing after tape and staple removal, flattening, and remounting.