Okay, so on my last day of pre-Inauguration coverage (tomorrow the post-Inauguration coverage begins) I thought I'd take a look back at previous inauguration speeches. I actually didn't realize how many memorable presidential lines had been delivered during the inauguration. If you'd like the full text of all of them (and I'd avoid reading William Henry Harrison's) you can find it here.
The Washington Post considers Abe Lincoln's 2nd inaugural to be the best speech ever given by an American:
"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."
-Abraham Lincoln, 2nd Inaugural Address
I don't have anything particularly wise to say about this LBJ quote, except that I like the line about freedom.
"If we fail now, we shall have forgotten in abundance what we learned in hardship: that democracy rests on faith, that freedom asks more than it gives, and that the judgment of God is harshest on those who are most favored.
If we succeed, it will not be because of what we have, but it will be because of what we are; not because of what we own, but, rather because of what we believe."
-Lyndon Bains Johnson
When he was a child, my brother memorized this Clinton quote and would recite it over and over again. Very cute.
"Our democracy must be not only the envy of the world but the engine of our own renewal. There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America."
-Bill Clinton, 1st Inaugural Address
Probably almost everyone recognizes this FDR quote, but it seems appropriate since it was given during the depression.
"This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."
-Franklin D. Roosevelt 1st Inaugural Address
And finally, from the president to whom Obama is most often compared:
"And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.
My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.
Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own."
-John F. Kennedy
We'll see how Obama's speech compares. I imagine he'll do alright.
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