Beginning with Franklin Roosevelt’s 2nd Inauguration in 1936, Presidential Inauguration Day has been on January 20, save a few exceptions. Here are some memorable lines OTD in American history.
Harry Truman, Inaugural Address, January 20, 1949
“Communism is based on the belief that man is so weak and inadequate that he is unable to govern himself, and therefore requires the rule of strong masters. Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with reason and justice.”
Dwight Eisenhower, First Inaugural Address, January 20, 1953
“Science seems ready to confer upon us, as its final gift, the power to erase human life from this planet.”
“History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.”
“Love of liberty means the guarding of every resource that makes freedom possible, from the sanctity of our families and the wealth of our soil to the genius of our scientists.”
John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961
“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.”
“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.”
Lyndon Johnson, Inaugural Address, January 20, 1965
“Our nation’s course is abundantly clear; We aspire to nothing that belongs to others. We seek no dominion over our fellow man, but man’s dominion over tyranny and misery.”
Richard Nixon, First Inaugural Address, January 20, 1969
“The greatest honor history can bestow is the title of peacemaker.”
“The essence of freedom is that each of us shares in the shaping of his own destiny.”
Richard Nixon, Second Inaugural Address, January 20, 1973
“The time has passed when America will make every other nation’s conflict our own, or make every other nation’s future our responsibility, or presume to tell the people of other nation’s how to manage their own affairs.”
“Government must learn to take less from people so that people can do more for themselves.”
Jimmy Carter, Inaugural Address, January 20, 1977
“I have no new dream to set forth today…”
Ronald Reagan, First Inaugural Address, January 20, 1981
“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 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.”
George H.W. Bush, Inaugural Address, January 20, 1989
“My first act as President is a prayer. I ask you to bow your heads: Heavenly Father, we bow our heads and thank You for Your love. Accept our thanks for the peace that yields this day and the shared faith that makes its countinuance likely. Make us strong to do Your work, willing to heed and hear Your will, and write on our hearts these words: ‘Use power to help people.’ For we are given power not to advance our own purposes, nor to make a great show in the world, nor a name. There is but one just use of power, and it is to serve people. Help us to remember it. Lord. Amen.”
Bill Clinton, Second Inaugural Address, January 20, 1997
“Ten years ago, the Internet was the mystical province of physicists; today, it is a commonplace encyclopedia for schoolchildren.”
George W. Bush, First Inaugural Address, January 20, 2001
“Our democratic faith is more than the creed of our country, it is the inborn hope of our humanity, an ideal we carry but do not own, a trust we bear and pass along.”
