He was not writing on a paper, but on the back of an envelope.

The last words of the speech are: "Government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth."

This is a direct quote from Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, a pivotal speech delivered during the American Civil War on November 19, 1863. In this address, Lincoln articulated the principles of human equality and popular sovereignty, redefining the purpose of the war as a struggle for freedom and national unity. The phrase "government of the people, by the people, for the people" has since become a globally recognized definition of democracy, emphasizing that governance should originate from the citizens, be conducted by their elected representatives, and serve the collective interests of the populace.

Abraham Lincoln was indeed the 16th President of the United States of America, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865.

His presidency is fundamentally associated with his pivotal leadership during the American Civil War, which successfully preserved the nation and led to the abolition of slavery. Lincoln's profound commitment to democracy and freedom is encapsulated in his Emancipation Proclamation and the iconic Gettysburg Address, securing his place as one of the most revered figures in American history.

Jumbled Sentence Rearrangement

This input represents a component of a Jumbled Sentence Rearrangement question, a common item in the English 1st Paper for HSC (Higher Secondary Certificate) students. The overall task requires students to arrange a set of given jumbled sentences, including sentence 'd' ("It is one of the finest and shortest speeches in English language."), into a logical and coherent sequence to form a meaningful paragraph or passage.

For HSC students, mastering this question type is crucial as it assesses several key English language skills, including:

    
• Reading Comprehension: Understanding the context and main idea of each sentence.
    
• Logical Cohesion: Identifying the logical flow and connection between sentences.
    
• Grammar and Syntax: Recognizing grammatical clues like pronouns, conjunctions, and transition words to establish sequence.
    
• Vocabulary: Understanding the meaning of words to grasp the overall theme.

To successfully solve such questions, students typically look for topic sentences, chronological order, cause-effect relationships, comparison-contrast patterns, and the correct use of referents (e.g., pronouns referring to previously mentioned nouns).