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From Greece to Gettysburg: Edward Everett, American Patriot
Best known for being upstaged by Abraham Lincoln at the Gettysburg Address, Edward Everett was also the first American to receive a PhD and a classicist who became an unlikely spokesperson for Greek revolutionaries.
- Johanna Hanink
- History Today
It is astonishing to think that when, in 1821, Greece declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire, its first appeal to America for recognition and support was not to the US government, but to a classicist.
Yet, after the Greek War of Independence broke out in February 1821, a phenomenon which the US press dubbed ‘Greek fever’ or ‘Greek fire’ swept across the…
Few fanned the flames as much as Edward Everett, who, as the…