The phrase ‘four score and seven years ago’ is famously known from Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. In this context, ‘score’ is an old term that means twenty years. Therefore, ‘four score’ represents four times twenty, which equals eighty years. When combined with ‘seven years’, the full phrase refers to a total of eighty-seven years.
This means that Lincoln was speaking about events that took place eighty-seven years before he gave his speech in 1863, specifically referring to the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The phrase not only sets a historical context but also evokes a sense of depth and gravity concerning the sacrifices made for the founding principles of the United States.