A crowd of millions gathered on the National Mall to watch the ceremony, and as the new president stepped to the podium to swear his allegiance to the constitution, the audience swelled and cheered.
A “humbled” Obama thanked the audience and his predecessor President Bush, before beginning his much anticipated speech.
“What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility—a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task,” he stated.
With the economy in crisis, two wars continuing in the Middle East, the “specter of a warming planet“ as Obama put it, and the endless list of today’s threats and challenges, great hope has been placed on the new president, but great trepidation persists as well.
In his speech, Obama sought to ease those fears and bolster the confidence of people.
“We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth,” he told the audience, addressing what he called “a sapping of confidence across our land—a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.”
“Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began,” he reassured.
“Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions—that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.”
Speaking to the people gathered before him as well as the world he knew was watching he said, “America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.”
“To all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.”
“To the Muslim world,” he said, “We seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West—know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.”
While acknowledging the size of the challenges faced by the world today, he also drew reference to the challenges overcome by our forebears. “Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.”
He drew upon classic American figures and themes of freedom and hard work, often invoking images of America as a leader on the side of good, an image that has been marred in the minds of many.
Unity of purpose and spirit, not of race or particular beliefs, was also a common theme of the day. As was a reverence for the sacrifices of people who made it possible for the nation to thrive and for him to stand there as President.
He concluded his speech by quoting the first man to take the oath that he had just taken.
“At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people, ‘Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it.’America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words.”
