As America’s 46th president is officially sworn in, we thought it would be interesting to take a look back at what previous presidents said during their inaugural addresses. The quotes below come from the Library of Congress and the American Presidency Project, a non-profit, non-partisan research project based out of UC Santa Barbara.
JFK’s “Ask not” speech is famous, and is often quoted when by people encouraging participation and engagement, but did you know that it was part of his inaugural speech? Thanks to the hindsight of history, we know that America accomplished a lot during his time in office. This speech shows that Kennedy was prepared to hit the ground running on Day 1. He knew that getting everyday citizens to participate, to buy into this grand idea of a better America, was a crucial factor in accomplishing that vision.
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.
Inaugural Address, John F. Kennedy, Friday, January 20, 1961. The American Presidency Project
Another iconic 20th century president, FDR, was also the first president to be sworn in on January 20th instead of the previous Inauguration date of March 4th. The year was 1937 and it was the start of his second of four terms. The Great Depression had been dragging on for the past four years and the desperate situations of so many were on his mind as he made clear his intention to use government to help them.
Let us ask again: Have we reached the goal of our vision of that fourth day of March 1933? Have we found our happy valley? I see a great nation, upon a great continent, blessed with a great wealth of natural resources…I see a United States which can demonstrate that, under democratic methods of government, national wealth can be translated into a spreading volume of human comforts hitherto unknown…But here is the challenge to our democracy: In this nation I see tens of millions of its citizens…who at this very moment are denied the greater part of what the very lowest standards of today call the necessities of life…The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little…
Inaugural Address, Franklin D. Roosevelt, January 20, 1937. The American Presidency Project.
“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little…“
Once again, America has millions of citizens who are hurting and who need help. Once again, help is needed that only the federal government can give. Time will tell and history will show if our leaders meet this moment or turn away and allow suffering to continue.
