>> senator hatfield, mr. chief justice, mr. president, vice president bush, vice president mondale, senator baker, speaker o'neill, reverend moomaw, and my fellow citizens,

to a few of us here today this is a solemn and most momentous occasion, and yet in the history of our nation it is a commonplace occurrence. the orderly transfer of authority as called for in the constitution routinely takes place, as it has for almost two centuries, and few of us stop to think how unique we really are. in the eyes of many in the world, this every-4-year ceremony we accept as normal is nothing less than a miracle. mr. president, i want our fellow citizens to know how much you did to carry on this tradition.

by your gracious cooperation in the transition process, you have shown a watching world that we are a united people pledged to maintaining a political system which guarantees individual liberty to a greater degree than any other, and i thank you and your people for all your help in maintaining the continuity which is the bulwark of our republic. the business of our nation goes forward. these united states are confronted with an economic affliction of great proportions. we suffer from the longest and one of the worst sustained inflations in our national history. it distorts our economic decisions, penalizes thrift, and crushes the struggling young and the fixed-income elderly alike. it threatens to shatter the

lives of millions of our people. idle industries have cast workers into unemployment, human misery, and personal indignity. those who do work are denied a fair return for their labor by a tax system which penalizes successful achievement and keeps us from maintaining full productivity. but great as our tax burden is, it has not kept pace with public spending. for decades we have piled deficit upon deficit, mortgaging our future and our children's future for the temporary convenience of the present. to continue this long trend is to guarantee tremendous social, cultural, political, and economic upheavals. you and i, as individuals, can, by borrowing, live beyond our means, but for only a limited period of time. why, then, should we think that collectively, as a nation, we're not bound by that same limitation?

we must act today in order to preserve tomorrow. and let there be no misunderstanding -- we are going to begin to act, beginning today. the economic ills we suffer have come upon us over several decades. they will not go away in days, weeks, or months, but they will go away. they will go away because we as americans have the capacity now, as we've had in the past, to do whatever needs to be done to preserve this last and greatest bastion of freedom. in this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem.

from time to time we've been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? all of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden. the solutions we seek must be equitable, with no one group singled out to pay a higher price. we hear much of special interest groups. well, our concern must be for a special interest group that has been too long neglected. it knows no sectional boundaries or ethnic and racial divisions,

and it crosses political party lines. it is made up of men and women who raise our food, patrol our streets, man our mines and factories, teach our children, keep our homes, and heal us when we're sick -- professionals, industrialists, shopkeepers, clerks, cabbies, and truckdrivers. they are, in short, we the people, this breed called americans. well, this administration's objective will be a healthy, vigorous, growing economy that provides equal opportunities for all americans with no barriers born of bigotry or discrimination. putting america back to work means putting all americans back to work. ending inflation means freeing all americans from the terror of runaway living costs. all must share in the productive work of this new beginning,' and

all must share in the bounty of a revived economy. with the idealism and fair play which are the core of our system and our strength, we can have a strong and prosperous america, at peace with itself and the world. so, as we begin, let us take inventory. we are a nation that has a government -- not the other way around. and this makes us special among the nations of the earth. our government has no power except that granted it by the people. it is time to check and reverse the growth of government, which shows signs of having grown beyond the consent of the governed. it is my intention to curb the size and influence of the federal establishment and to demand recognition of the distinction between the powers granted to the federal government and those reserved to the states or to the people.

all of us need to be reminded that the federal government did not create the states, the states created the federal government. now, so there will be no misunderstanding, it's not my intention to do away with government. it is rather to make it work -- work with us, not over us, to stand by our side, not ride on our back. government can and must provide opportunity, not smother it, foster productivity, not stifle it. if we look to the answer as to why for so many years we achieved so much, prospered as no other people on earth, it was

because here in this land we unleashed the energy and individual genius of man to a greater extent than has ever been done before. freedom and the dignity of the individual have been more available and assured here than in any other place on earth. the price for this freedom at times has been high, but we have never been unwilling to pay that price. it is no coincidence that our present troubles parallel and are proportionate to the intervention and intrusion in our lives that result from unnecessary and excessive growth of government. it is time for us to realize that we're too great a nation to limit ourselves to small dreams. we're not, as some would have us believe, doomed to an inevitable decline. i do not believe in a fate that will fall on us no matter what we do. i do believe in a fate that will

fall on us if we do nothing. so, with all the creative energy at our command, let us begin an era of national renewal. let us renew our determination, our courage, and our strength. and let us renew our faith and our hope. we have every right to dream heroic dreams. those who say that we're in a time when there are not heroes, they just don't know where to look. you can see heroes every day going in and out of factory gates. others, a handful in number, produce enough food to feed all of us and then the world beyond. you meet heroes across a counter, and they're on both sides of that counter. there are entrepreneurs with faith in themselves and faith in an idea who create new jobs, new wealth and opportunity.

they're individuals and families whose taxes support the government and whose voluntary gifts support church, charity, culture, art, and education. their patriotism is quiet, but deep. their values sustain our national life. now, i have used the words "they'' and "their'' in speaking of these heroes. i could say "you'' and "your,'' because i'm addressing the heroes of whom i speak -- you, the citizens of this blessed land. your dreams, your hopes, your goals are going to be the dreams, the hopes, and the goals of this administration, so help me god. we shall reflect the compassion that is so much a part of your makeup. how can we love our country and not love our countrymen, and loving them, reach out a hand

when they fall, heal them when they're sick, and provide opportunity to make them self- sufficient so they will be equal in fact and not just in theory? can we solve the problems confronting us? well, the answer is an unequivocal and emphatic "yes.'' to paraphrase winston churchill, i did not take the oath i've just taken with the intention of presiding over the dissolution of the world's strongest economy. in the days ahead i will propose removing the roadblocks that have slowed our economy and reduced productivity.

steps will be taken aimed at restoring the balance between the various levels of government. progress may be slow, measured in inches and feet, not miles, but we will progress. it is time to reawaken this industrial giant, to get government back within its means, and to lighten our punitive tax burden. and these will be our first priorities, and on these principles there will be no compromise. on the eve of our struggle for independence a man who might have been one of the greatest among the founding fathers, dr. joseph warren, president of the massachusetts congress, said to his fellow americans, "our country is in danger, but not to be despaired of. on you depend the fortunes of

america. you are to decide the important questions upon which rests the happiness and the liberty of millions yet unborn. act worthy of yourselves." well, i believe we, the americans of today, are ready to act worthy of ourselves, ready to do what must be done to ensure happiness and liberty for ourselves, our children, and our children's children. and as we renew ourselves here in our own land, we will be seen as having greater strength throughout the world. we will again be the exemplar of freedom and a beacon of hope for those who do not now have freedom. to those neighbors and allies who share our freedom, we will strengthen our historic ties and assure them of our support and firm commitment. we will match loyalty with loyalty. we will strive for mutually beneficial relations. we will not use our friendship to impose on their sovereignty, for our own sovereignty is not for sale.

as for the enemies of freedom, those who are potential adversaries, they will be reminded that peace is the highest aspiration of the american people. we will negotiate for it, sacrifice for it, we will not surrender for it, now or ever. our forbearance should never be misunderstood. our reluctance for conflict should not be misjudged as a failure of will. when action is required to preserve our national security, we will act. we will maintain sufficient strength to prevail if need be,

knowing that if we do so we have the best chance of never having to use that strength. above all, we must realize that no arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. it is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have. it is a weapon that we as americans do have. let that be understood by those who practice terrorism and prey upon their neighbors. i'm told that tens of thousands of prayer meetings are being held on this day, and for that i'm deeply grateful. we are a nation under god, and i

believe god intended for us to be free. it would be fitting and good, i think, if on each inaugural day in future years it should be declared a day of prayer. this is the first time in our history that this ceremony has been held, as you've been told, on this west front of the capitol. standing here, one faces a magnificent vista, opening up on this city's special beauty and history. at the end of this open mall are those shrines to the giants on whose shoulders we stand. directly in front of me, the monument to a monumental man, george washington, father of our country. a man of humility who came to greatness reluctantly. he led america out of revolutionary victory into infant nationhood. off to one side, the stately memorial to thomas jefferson.

the declaration of independence flames with his eloquence. and then, beyond the reflecting pool, the dignified columns of the lincoln memorial. whoever would understand in his heart the meaning of america will find it in the life of abraham lincoln. beyond those monuments to heroism is the potomac river, and on the far shore the sloping hills of arlington national cemetery, with its row upon row of simple white markers bearing crosses or stars of david. they add up to only a tiny fraction of the price that has been paid for our freedom. each one of those markers is a monument to the kind of hero i spoke of earlier. their lives ended in places called belleau wood, the argonne, omaha beach, salerno, and halfway around the world on guadalcanal, tarawa, pork chop hill, the chosin reservoir, and in a hundred rice paddies and jungles of a place called vietnam. under one such marker lies a young man, martin treptow, who left his job in a small town barbershop in 1917 to go to france with the famed rainbow division.

there, on the western front, he was killed trying to carry a message between battalions under heavy artillery fire. we're told that on his body was found a diary. on the flyleaf under the heading, "my pledge,'' he had written these words -- "america must win this war. therefore i will work, i will save, i will sacrifice, i will endure, i will fight cheerfully and do my utmost, as if the issue of the whole struggle depended on me alone.''

the crisis we are facing today does not require of us the kind of sacrifice that martin treptow and so many thousands of others were called upon to make. it does require, however, our best effort and our willingness to believe in ourselves and to believe in our capacity to perform great deeds, to believe that together with god's help we can and will resolve the problems which now confront us. and after all, why shouldn't we believe that? we are americans. god bless you, and thank you. [applause]

>> president lyndon johnson was inaugurated in 1965 for his first and only four-year term as the nation's 36 president. at the ceremony, lady bird started the tradition of first ladies holding the bible during the swearing-in. this is about 15 minutes. >> you do solemnly swear -- >> i do solemnly swear -- that you will faithfully execute -- >> that i will faithfully execute -- >> the office of the president of the united states, and will preserve, protect, and

defend the constitution of the united states so help you god. >> the office of the president of the united states and will preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of the united states so help me god. [applause] >> my fellow countrymen, on this occasion the oath i have taken before you and before god is not mine alone, but ours together. we are one nation and one people.

our fate as a nation and our future as a people rest not upon one citizen but upon all citizens. that is the majesty and the meaning of this moment. for every generation there is a destiny. for some, history decides. for this generation the choice must be our own. even now, a rocket moves toward mars. it reminds us that the world

will not be the same for our children, or even for ourselves in a short span of years. the next man to stand here will look out on a scene that is different from our own. ours is a time of change -- rapid and fantastic change -- bearing the secrets of nature, multiplying the nations, placing in uncertain hands new weapons for mastery and destruction, shaking old values and uprooting old ways.

our destiny in the midst of change will rest on the unchanged character of our people and on their faith. they came here -- the exile and the stranger, brave but frightened -- to find a place where a man could be his own man. they made a covenant with this land.

conceived in justice, written in liberty, bound in union, it was meant one day to inspire the hopes of all mankind. and it binds us still. if we keep its terms we shall flourish. first, justice was the promise that all who made the journey would share in the fruits of the land. in a land of great wealth, families must not live in hopeless poverty.

in a land rich in harvest, children just must not go hungry. in a land of healing miracles, neighbors must not suffer and die untended. in a great land of learning and scholars, young people must be taught to read and write. for more than 30 years that i have served this nation i have believed that this injustice to our people, this waste of our resources, was our real enemy. for 30 years or more, with the resources i have had, i have vigilantly fought against it. it is the excitement of becoming always becoming, trying, probing, falling, resting, and trying again -- but always

trying and always gaining. in each generation, with toil and tears, we have had to earn our heritage again. if we fail now then we will have forgotten in abundance what we learned in hardship -- that democracy rests on faith, that freedom asks more than it gives, and 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. for we are a nation of believers.

underneath the clamor of building and the rush of our day's pursuits, we are believers in justice and liberty and in our own union.

we believe that every man must some day be free. and we believe in ourselves. and that is the mistake that our enemies have always made. in my lifetime, in depression and in war they have awaited our defeat. each time, from the secret places of the american heart, came forth the faith that they could not see or that they could not even imagine.

and it brought us victory. and it will again. for this is what america is all about. it is the uncrossed desert and the unclimbed ridge. it is the star that is not reached and the harvest that is sleeping in the unplowed ground. is our world gone? we say farewell.

is a new world coming? we welcome it, and we will bend it to the hopes of man. and to these trusted public servants and to my family, and those close friends of mine who have followed me down a long winding road, and to all the people of this union and the world, i will repeat today what i said on that sorrowful day in november last year -- i will lead and i will do the best i can.

but you, you must look within your own hearts to the old promises and to the old dreams. they will lead you best of all. for myself, i ask only in the words of an ancient leader -- "give me now wisdom and knowledge, that i may go out and come in before this people -- for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?"

[applause] >> now a portion of a universal newsreel covering the second not euro for dwight eisenhower in 1957. he defeated former illinois governor adlai stevenson in the 1956 campaign. the official inaugural date of january 20 was a sunday in 1957. president eisenhower was officially sworn in in private. a public ceremony, on the capital's west front, with the next day. this is 10 minutes. ♪ >> you, the white d eisenhower,

do solemnly swear that you will face fully -- faithfully execute the office of president of the you knighted states -- united states and well, to the best of your ability, preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of the united states, so help you god. >> i, dwight d eisenhower, do solemnly swear that i will faithfully execute the office of president of the united states and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of the united states, so help me god. >> the first time any president had prefaced his inaugural address with a prayer. >> we pray. writes 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 concerns 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 like 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 blessings 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 good will -- 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 a land of plenty, but rarely has this earth known such peril as today. in our nation work and wealth abound. our population grows.

commerce crowds our rivers and rails, our skies, 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. 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, they waved at the

crowd. sergeant of arms of the senate on the right. this beautiful centerpiece greeted them in the midst of a sumptuous buffet. a sneak review of the food. -- preview of the food. the president and mrs. eisenhower ate a hearty meal. the vice president and his wife,

followed by the nixon's two children. even the solemn ceremony could not dispel the humor of her black eye. what are little girls made of? sam, joe martin and mark. the chief justice and his wife. former president hoover. senator and mrs. bridges, along with members of the joint inaugural committee and their wives were host to the party. ♪ as the president and his wife

waved to the cheering multitudes, they start the drive 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 who lined the parade route. as the parade approached the treasury building, they turn up 15th street. the president and maney -- mamie are followed by the vice president and pat nixon.

>> now john f. kennedy's 1961 and not duration as the country 's 35th president. the day before us to be sworn in in, a snowstorm hit washington d.c., almost causing it to be canceled. according to an accounting of the storm, eight inches of snow fell and caused the most rippling traffic jam for its time. hundreds of cars were in ruins, thousands of cars were abandoned. employees were to play the parade route and the event went on this land. here is the swearing in and speech of that year, about 15 minutes. >> i johnson its chair kennedy

do solemnly swear that i will faithfully execute the office of president of the united states and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of the united states so help me god. [applause]

>> vice president johnson, mr. speaker, mr. chief justice, president eisenhower, vice president nixon, president truman, reverend clergy, fellow citizens, we observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom -- symbolizing an end as well as a beginning -- signifying renewal as well as change. for i have sworn before you and almighty god the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three- quarters ago. the world is very different now.

for man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. and yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe -- the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of god. we dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of americans -- born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter

peace, proud of our ancient heritage -- and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world. let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, 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. this much we pledge -- and more.

to those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. united there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. divided there is little we can do -- for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder. to those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. we shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. but we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom -- and to remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.

to those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required -- not because the communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. if a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich. to our sister republics south of

our border, we offer a special pledge -- to convert our good words into good deeds -- in a new alliance for progress -- to assist free men and free governments in casting off the chains of poverty. but this peaceful revolution of hope cannot become the prey of hostile powers. let all our neighbors know that we shall join with them to oppose aggression or subversion anywhere in the americas. and let every other power know that this hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house. to that world assembly of sovereign states, the united nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support -- to prevent it from becoming merely a forum for invective -- to

strengthen its shield of the new and the weak -- and to enlarge the area in which its writ may run. finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request -- that both sides begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction. we dare not tempt them with weakness. for only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed. but neither can two great and

powerful groups of nations take comfort from our present course both sides overburdened by the cost of modern weapons, both rightly alarmed by the steady spread of the deadly atom, yet both racing to alter that uncertain balance of terror that stays the hand of mankind's final war. so let us begin anew -- remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof.

let us never negotiate out of fear. but let us never fear to negotiate. let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us. let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations. let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths and encourage the arts and commerce.

let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth the command of isaiah -- to "undo the heavy burdens, let the oppressed go free." and if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavor, not a new balance of power, but a new world of law, where the strong are just and the weak secure and the peace preserved. all this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. but let us begin.

in your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. since this country was founded, each generation of americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. the graves of young americans who answered the call to service surround the globe. now the trumpet summons us again not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need -- not as a call to battle, though embattled we are -- but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation" -- a struggle against the common enemies of man -- tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.

can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, north and south, east and west, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? will you join in that historic effort? in the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. i do not shrink from this responsibility -- i welcome it. i do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation.

the energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it -- and the glow from that fire can truly light the world. 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 here 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.[applause] >> next, live your calls and comments on "washington journal."

then, remarks by chelsea clinton and president obama on the date of service. >> c-span, created by america's cable companies in 1979, brought to you as a public service by your television provider. >> i, barack hussein obama, do solemnly swear -- >> this weekend, the 57th presidential inauguration, as president obama begins his second term. sunday, the official swearing in just before noon. it looks back at the president's 2009 inaugural address. then monday, the public inaugural ceremonies, with the swearing in at the us cop will

-- u.s. capital. on c-span, c-span radio, and c- span.org. join the conversation by phone, on facebook, and on twitter. >> throughout the inauguration, our online will have extra features. all at c-span.org. this morning cheryl olson, co-author thor of grand theft childhood talks about the president's push of the study on violence and violent video games on young minds and