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| Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts administers the oath of office to President Barack Obama during the Inaugural swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Capitol. [PHOTO: Sonya N. Hebert/White House] |
By RFE/RL
Washington: Barack Obama has been inaugurated for his second term as president of the United States.
Washington: Barack Obama has been inaugurated for his second term as president of the United States.
Obama was sworn into
office on January 21 on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
The public ceremony
came a day after he took the official oath of office in a private White House
ceremony, in accordance with the U.S. Constitution, which says a presidential
term ends at noon on January 20.
In his inaugural
address, Obama called on a divided America to join as one nation and one
people.
"Each time we
gather to inaugurate a president, we bear witness to the enduring strength of
our constitution. We affirm the promise of our democracy. We recall that what
binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our
faith or the origins of our names," Obama said.
"What makes us
exceptional -- what makes us American -- is our allegiance to an idea,
articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago: 'We hold these
truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'"
Obama vowed to renew
"strong alliances" around the world, saying the United States was
committed to finding security without "perpetual war." He also said
Washington will support global democracy, acting on behalf of those who long for
freedom.
"This generation of Americans has been tested by crises
that steeled our resolve and proved our resilience. A decade of war is now
ending. An economic recovery has begun," Obama said.
"America's
possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the qualities that this world
without boundaries demands: youth and drive; diversity and openness; an endless
capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention," he continued.
"My fellow
Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it -- so long as we
seize it together. "
Brian Balogh, a
history professor at the University of Virginia, said Obama’s inaugural address
was “a defining moment” for the president because he used it to explain the
ideological and philosophical ideas that motivate him.
"I thought this
was a bold speech because the president laid out a fundamental rationale for
all of these programs he proposed," Balogh said. "And that rationale
is, ‘America is stronger when it acts collectively.' To even say the word
‘collective' is dangerous in American history because it conjures up images of
communism, of socialism. At a minimum, it comes dangerously close to using the
'L' word – liberalism.”
Hundreds of thousands
of people filled the National Mall to witness the inauguration.
Former Presidents
Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton attended the ceremony along with members of
Congress and other dignitaries.
Vice President Joe
Biden also publicly took the oath of office before Obama.
Myrlie
Evers-Williams, the 79-year-old widow of slain civil rights leader Medgar
Evers, delivered the invocation, becoming the first woman and nonclergy member
to do so.
The ceremony was held
under tight security.
Copyright (c) 2013. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
Copyright (c) 2013. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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