"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) 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.“ --U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section II
Taking the Oath of Office
The highlight of the inauguration events is the Oath of Office. This is also known as the "swearing in." When Barack Obama takes the Oath, he officially becomes our new president.
The theme for this year’s inauguration is “A New Birth of Freedom” commemorating President Abraham Lincoln. This theme draws from the famous “Gettysburg Address”, a speech he gave during the U.S. Civil War.
Learn more about the 2009 inauguration theme
Read the Gettysburg Address
In Their Own Words: Famous Inauguration Quotes
Past inaugural addresses have resulted in some of the most memorable quotes in history. These sentences captured the hearts and minds of Americans and inspired them to follow their leader:
"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." John F. Kennedy, January 20, 1961
View President Kennedy’s Swearing-In Ceremony
"Justice requires us to remember that when any citizen denies his fellow, saying, ‘His color is not mine,’ or ‘His beliefs are strange and different,’ in that moment he betrays America, though his forebears created this nation." Lyndon Johnson, January 20 1965
View a photo gallery about President Johnson and read his inaugural address
"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." Franklin D. Roosevelt, March 4, 1933
View or read President Roosevelt’s first inaugural address
“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." Abraham Lincoln, March 4, 1865
Learn about President Lincoln, one of the inspirations of this year’s inauguration
Inauguration Events
