Inauguration Day

    Today Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States.  The transfer of power between two different political parties occurred peacefully and like clock work as it had in 1801 when Thomas Jefferson assumer power following John Adams. 

    In class we reflected on the importance of the Inaugural Address.  This speech is to set the tone for the incoming Administration.  For the President, he hopes to inspire the people and not simply state what he wishes to accomplish.   Some speeches are short (Washington's second Address was only 150 words) while others can be lengthy (William Henry Harrison had a speech that was 8,000 words long).  No matter the length, the speeches tend to reflect the times that they were written in.

   Before his Inauguration, President Obama and his staff examined the works of former Presidents looking for inspiration.  In the past months of the campaign he had quoted some of President Kennedy's speeches, someone that he has been compared to in the past.

Here are the quotes that we looked at, as well as what historical event was occurring during that President's time in power. 

"You have nothing to fear, but fear itself"  

        ~ Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

F.D.R. assumed power during the Great Depression, when 25% of the workforce was unemployed.  His goal was to have the American people regain confidence in the government.

"Malice towards none, charity for all"

       ~ Abraham Lincoln

This quote is from Lincoln's second address.  The Civil War was nearing an end, and many Northern politicians wanted the leaders of the Confederacy to be punished.  Lincoln preached forgiveness towards the former enemies of the Union.  Lincoln would not live to see his ideas of tolerance carried out, he would be assassinated a few weeks after his speech. 

"Let every nation know, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty"

                                  ~  John F. Kennedy

Kennedy's speech was delivered during the height of the Cold War.  Tensions were very high between the Soviet Union and the United States, many feared a nuclear war between the two nations.   During the campaign of 1960, Kennedy was criticized for being soft against communism.  He sought to silence his critics and send a message to the world.

"the national nightmare is over"

         ~ Gerald Ford

Ford became President following the resignation of Richard Nixon.  Many people in the country were fed up with politics and how the members of the U.S. government had acted in the months leading up to the resignation.  Ford was hoping that the country would heal and then move on.

You have all witnessed history today.  Portions of President Obama's speech will be studied by students years from now and you had the ability live through it.