Gettysburg Address
A coin honoring Lincoln's Gettysburg Address with two clasping hands.
The fifth and final theme of the 2026 quarters marking the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding is the “Gettysburg Address.” Stepping one step beyond the story of how the nation was founded, it captures the moment when that nation, overcoming a great trial, once again resolved upon the ideals of liberty and equality.
The reverse of the coin prominently features two hands reaching toward each other, about to clasp, with the words “A NEW NATION CONCEIVED IN LIBERTY” above and “GETTYSBURG ADDRESS” below.
The clasping hands symbolize the wish that a nation torn apart and fighting between North and South might reconcile and be joined together once more into one. This design, which chose “hands” instead of weapons or scenes of battle, embodies the spirit of the address: harmony that rises above conflict.
The Gettysburg Address is a very short speech that President Lincoln delivered in 1863, at the height of the Civil War. Widely known for the phrase “government of the people, by the people, for the people,” it once again clearly proclaimed the ideals of liberty and equality that America must uphold.
This quarter, capturing the moment when two hands are about to touch, gently conveys that protecting a nation and joining it into one is just as precious as founding it.