GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania's two U.S. senators and the congressman who represents Gettysburg are asking President Barack Obama to attend the November event that will commemorate the 150th year since the "Gettysburg Address."
Sens. Bob Casey and Pat Toomey and U.S. Rep. Scott Perry on Thursday wrote the president, asking him to deliver the keynote address. The letter says Obama's participation "would mean a great deal to Pennsylvania and to the nation."
President Abraham Lincoln's short speech at the 1863 dedication of a cemetery for war dead is considered one of the greatest achievements in American political oratory.
Hollywood director Steven Spielberg gave the keynote address two months ago.
The Battle of Gettysburg, in which Northern forces turned away a Confederate advance, is considered a pivotal moment in the American Civil War.
©2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.