stilling of guns, easing the sorrow of war. more than an escape from death, it is a way of life. more than a haven for the weary, it is a hope for the brave. this is the hope that beckons us onward in this century of trial. this is the work that awaits us all. to be done with bravery, with charity and with prayer toalmighty god. my citizens, i thank you. [applause] [captioning performed by thenat, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2025] >> this senate recording studio news reel features highlights of

president eisenhower's second inauguration in 1957. the official oath was taken in private at the white house because january 20 fell on a sunday that year. the next day, monday, january 21, a public inaugural ceremony was held this. video, provided by the dwight d. eisenhower library and presidential museum also shows highlights of the parade and balls that evening. the honor of, >> the honor of your presence is requested at the ceremonies of the president and the vice president of the united states. january 21, 1957. committee on arrangement, jorityw mccormick. house minority leader joseph w martin jr.

special musical score by the united states marine band captain albert w shelford. director music composed and conducted by sergeant donald huntzberger staff special musical score by the united states marine band, captain albert shelper, director. composed and conducted by the staff arranger. in the fall of 1956, our hand cameras were allowed to briefly cover a meeting of the joint inaugural committee as they met to discuss plans for the coming inauguration. chairman of the committee, senator styles bridges of new

hampshire, speaker sam rayburn of texas. senator theodore francis green of rhode island, house majority leader john mccormick of massachusetts, senator john sparkman of alabama, house minority leader joseph w. martin jr. of massachusetts. secretary to the committee and to the senate minority, mark trice. installation of the special steel platforms for television and newsreel cameras was immediately begun.

approximately 540,000 feet of lumber was used to provide seating for 12,000 of the invited guests. on january 3, 1957, the flag flew over the capitol as both houses of congress met to begin first session of the 85th congress. several days later, the president made an unprecedented address to a joint session of the congress, to apprise the membership of the then serious mideast situation. he requested congressional approval for his mid eastern policies and received such a resolution from the congress a short time later. on january 20, the president and mrs. eisenhower, again attended

the national presbyterian church as they had four years ago. [bells ringing] the reverend l.r. elson gave an inspiring and timely sermon on the subject, a nation under god. the president and mrs. eisenhower left the church for the white house where the president and the vice president were officially sworn in for their second terms of office. since, by law, the president cannot serve more than two terms, this would be the beginning of the last four years of occupancy of the white house by president eisenhower. [bells ringing] typical of the many receptions held throughout washington for

the visiting dignitaries attending the inaugural ceremonies was this reception given by senator and mrs. bridges in honor of the governor of new hampshire. the senator in the receiving line with lovely mrs. bridges. with champagne music supplied by this marine quartet directed by lieutenant king. [applause] the morning of january 21 dawned cold and overcast. the capitol plaza as seen from a navy blimp hovering overhead. as the president and mamie came out of the white house, he paused momentarily and thought back to his first inauguration when he came to the white house to be accompanied by president truman on his first ride to the

capitol. the president continued down the steps. the vice president waiting. and, as the presidential caravan leaves the white house grounds, the president starts his second such historic journey down pennsylvania avenue in four years. the waiting crowds herald his arrival at the capitol where the ceremonies are to be held. ike, ever the gallant, helps

mamie from the car as they enter the capitol escorted by senator bridges. the dignitaries descend to the inaugural platform. carl hayden, dean of the senate, leads the senators with the minority leader william noland and majority leader lyndon johnson very close behind. representing our mighty military services, joint chiefs of staffs, secretary humphrey and seles lead the cabinet members, followed by the nine black robed justices of the united states supreme court. former president herbert hoover, and the outspoken champion of the eisenhower administration, governor and mrs. tom dewey,

leonard hall, chairman of the national republican committee. and now, accompanied by the members of the joint inaugural committee, the vice president of the united states, richard nixon, takes his place on the platform. the moment everyone has been waiting for has now arrived. the president of the united states steps into view and a tremendous ovation resounds across the capitol from the thousands who have gathered here from near and far to witness his solemn oath of service to the american people and to assume the leadership of this great country of ours for another four-year term. [applause] [playing hail to the chief] an expectant hush envelopes the throng. >> the oath of office will be administered to vice president

by senator william f. knowland of california. >> present arms. ♪ sen. knowland: raise your right hand and repeat after me. i, richard nixon, do solemnly swear. vp nixon: i richard nixon do solemnly swear. sen. knowland: that i will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies, foreign and domestic. vp nixon: that i will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies, foreign and domestic. sen. knowland: that i will bear true faith and allegiance to the same. vp nixon: that i will bear true faith and allegiance to the same. sen. knowland: that i take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. vp nixon: that i take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. sen. knowland: and that will i will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the

office on which i'm about to enter. vp nixon: and that will i will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which i'm about to enter. sen. knowland: so help me god. vp nixon: so help me god. sen. knowland: congratulations, mr. vice president. [applause] >> the solemnity of the occasion fills the air with an electric sound. people from all over this country and yes, the world, too, watch, wait and listen for the moment when ike will step forward. [playing america the beautiful] >> do you, dwight d. eisenhower do solemnly swear that i will faithfully execute the office of

the president of the united states. pres. eisenhower: that i will faithfully execute the office of the president of the united states. >> and will to best of your ability pres. eisenhower: and will to best of your ability. >> preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the united states. pres. eisenhower: preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the united states. >> so help you god. pres. eisenhower: so help me god. [applause] >> as the president looked out upon the gathering, he thought back to the year 1953 when he offered the now famous eisenhower prayer, first time any president had ever prefaced his inaugural address with such a prayer. pres. eisenhower: give us, we pray, the power to discern clearly right from wrong and allow all our words and actions to be governed thereby and by the laws of this land,

especially we pray that our concern shall be for all the people, regardless of station, race or calling. mr. chairman, mr. vice president, mr. chief justice, mr. speaker, members of my family and friends, my countrymen, and the friends of my country, wherever they may be. we meet again as upon a life moment four years ago and again you have witnessed my solemn oath of service to you. i, too, am a witness, today testifying in your name to the principles and purposes to which we as a people are pledged. before all else, we seek, upon our common labor as a nation, the blessing of almighty god, and the hopes in our hearts

fashion the deepest prayers of our whole people. may we pursue the right without self-righteousness, may we know unity without conformity, may we grow in strength without pride in self. may we, in our dealings with all peoples of the earth, ever speak truth and serve justice. and so shall america, in the sight of all men of goodwill, prove true to the honorable purposes that bind and rule us as a people, in all this time of trial through which we pass. we live in the land of plenty but rarely has this earth known such peril as today. in our nation, work and wealth abound.

our population grows. commerce, houses our rivers and rails, our skies, our harbors and highways. our soil is fertile, our agriculture productive. the air rings with the song of our industry, rolling mills and blast furnaces, dynamos, dams and assembly lines, the chorus of america the bountiful. now, this is our home. yet this is not the whole of our world. for our world is where our full destiny lies. >> at the completion of his address, the president and mamie wave at the cheering crowd. the presidential party was led from the stands by zeke johnson, sergeant-at-arms of the house on

the left, and joseph duke, sergeant of arms of the senate on the right, to a special luncheon held in the old supreme court room. [applause] >> ♪ >> this beautiful centerpiece greeted ike and dick in the midst of a sumptuous buffet, a sneak preview of the food. ♪ >> the president and mrs. eisenhower ate a hearty meal. the vice president and his wife with mrs. john eisenhower followed by the nixon's two

children, even a solemn ceremony such as the presidential inauguration could not dispel the humor of julie nixon's black eye. what are little girls made of? ♪ >> sam rayburn, joe martin and mark trice. chief justice earl warren and mrs. warren. former president hoover, senator and mrs. styles bridges along with members of the joint inaugural committee and their wives were host to the presidential party. ♪ >> as the president and mamie

wave to the cheering multitudes, they start the drive from the capitol to the reviewing stand in front of the white house. down pennsylvania avenue, the inaugural parade is led by a platoon of washington metropolitan motorcycle police. the president in an open car waves to them all, the thousands that line the parade route cheer wildly from windows and buildings on the street. >> ♪ >> as the parade approaches the treasury building, they turn up 15th street. the president and mamie are followed by the vice president and pat nixon. [applause] ♪

♪ >> the colors of the 48 states, the district of columbia, and territories. earl warren, chief justice of the united states supreme court, followed by members of the president's cabinet. ♪ >> the president, with mamie, have arrived at the stand where he will review the hundreds of units which compose the inaugural parade. the united states military academy cadets from west point lead the first division.

and as the cadet colors pass in review, perhaps the president thought back to the time 44 years ago when he marched as a cadet before woodrow wilson, not realizing then what pattern destiny was to weave for him. ♪ >> the united states naval academy band followed closely by the brigade of midshipmen and who will soon lead the united states navy in this time of watchful peace. ♪ and, for the first time ever to appear in an inaugural parade, the cadets of the newly constituted air force academy, the backbone of our vital defensive air arm.

♪ >> and a public display of the latest weapons in our defense arsenal, the guided missiles, awesome and foreboding in their appearance, yet comforting in the knowledge that they stand as a deterrent to aggression from any source. weapons of defense, relying upon a repellatory effect, so devastating that aggression will serve no purpose. ♪ ♪

>> new jersey's float reminding everyone of the fight against polio was awarded the title "most unique." georgia depicting augusta, georgia. the best design award was captured by florida with its very beautiful creation and the usual pretty girls. liberty and strength through the consent of the governed was portrayed in the theme float of the 1957 inaugural parade. the longest float of any kind ever to appear anywhere, it measured 407 feet long, representing many states and many industries. ♪

>> guam's entry was awarded "the best float" depicting the theme of the inaugural parade. pretty girls were in abundance throughout and, of course, those who appreciated this fact. ♪ >> from ohio came burma, the elephant, a traditional symbol of the republican party. even burma saluted the president, with upraised trunk and a blast of steam, showing the theme of the day, cold and damp throughout which ike saw from the reviewing stand. and uncle sam. ♪

>> band after band in their colorful uniforms and their stirring marches. ♪ >> the cowboy who didn't get to rope ike this time as he did in the much heralded 1953 parade . and what american theme would be complete without our indians. the governor from south dakota drew immediate attention when he stopped to take a picture of ike for his son. as the end of the parade approached with the eisenhower bandwagon, a tribute lasting three hours and stretching for many miles had passed before him. throughout the parade, the president stood for them all, the thousands in the line of

march who came to pay homage, attesting his popular appeal to the millions across the breadth of our nation. the sun slowly settled behind the capitol as the daylight hours drew to a close. ♪ >> one by one as the lights came on, the stage was set with the gala celebration that was to follow as official washington turned out in all her splendor for the inaugural balls to be held in honor of the president. to accommodate the thousands who wished to attend, four separate balls were held. the president and mamie visited them all. here at the mayflower hotel, we see mrs. dowd, mamie's mother, and her sister, mrs. jay gordon moore. ♪ >> hey jubilant secretary humphrey. senator stiles bridges and mrs.

bridges. ♪ ♪ >> the president and misses eisenhower were escorted into their box by their hosts. ♪ >> as the officer salutes the president, we bring to a close a salute by the american people to their leader, the president of the united states, dwight david eisenhower, and his beloved mamie. ♪

>> if you are enjoying american history tv, sign up for our newsletter using the qr code on the screen to receive weekly highlights of upcoming programs like lectures in history, american artifacts, the presidency, and more. sign up for the newsletter today and be sure to watch american history tv every weekend, or anytime online at c-span.org /history. the new congresswoman is president-elect tru's pick to be u.s. ambassadore uned nations. she was first eleo th house in 2014 and served as republican conference chair from 2021 until the end of last year. you can watch her confirmati span three, c-span now, orrn on online at c-span.org.

>> weekends on c-span2 are an intellectual feast. on sundays, booktv brings yo the latest in nonfiction books and authors. funding comes from these television companies and more, including midco. >> where are you going? maybe a better question is, how far do you want to go? and how fast you want to get there? now, we are getting somewhere. so, let's go! let's go faster. let's go further. let's go beyond. >> midco, along with these television companies, supports c-span2 as a public service.

>> if you ever miss any of c-span's coverage, you can find it anytime online at c-span.org. videos of key hearings, debates, and other events feature guides. these points of interest markers appear on the right hand side of your screen when you hit "play" on select videos. this makes it easy to quickly get an idea of what was debated in washington. spend a few minutes on c-span's points of interest. we continued american histor tv's look at historic inaugural speech is. 1961, january, john kennedy defeated nixon in one of the closest elections in u.s. history. at 43, mr. kennedy became the youngest person ever elected president. he was also the first catholic and the first born in the 20th century. an estimated crowd