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Welcome to U.S. history!
Ronald Reagan's First
Inaugural Address:
| Senator Hatfield, Mr. Chief Justice, Mr. President, Vice
President Bush, Vice President Mondale, Senator Baker, Speaker O'Neill, Reverend Moomaw,
and my fellow citizens: To a few of us here today, this is a solemn and most momentous
occasion; and yet, in the history of our Nation, it is a commonplace occurrence. The
orderly transfer of authority as called for in the Constitution routinely takes place as
it has for almost two centuries and few of us stop to think how unique we really are. In
the eyes of many in the world, this every-4-year ceremony we accept as normal is nothing
less than a miracle. |
| Mr. President, I want our fellow citizens to
know how much you did to carry on this tradition. By your gracious cooperation in the
transition process, you have shown a watching world that we are a united people pledged to
maintaining a political system which guarantees individual liberty to a greater degree
than any other, and I thank you and your people for all your help in maintaining the
continuity which is the bulwark of our Republic. |
| The business of our nation goes forward. These
United States are confronted with an economic affliction of great proportions. We suffer
from the longest and one of the worst sustained inflations in our national history. It
distorts our economic decisions, penalizes thrift, and crushes the struggling young and
the fixed-income elderly alike. It threatens to shatter the lives of millions of our
people. |
| Idle industries have cast workers into
unemployment, causing human misery and personal indignity. Those who do work are denied a
fair return for their labor by a tax system which penalizes successful achievement and
keeps us from maintaining full productivity. |
| But great as our tax burden is, it has not kept
pace with public spending. For decades, we have piled deficit upon deficit, mortgaging our
future and our children's future for the temporary convenience of the present. To continue
this long trend is to guarantee tremendous social, cultural, political, and economic
upheavals. |
| You and I, as individuals, can, by borrowing,
live beyond our means, but for only a limited period of time. Why, then, should we think
that collectively, as a nation, we are not bound by that same limitation? |
| We must act today in order to preserve tomorrow.
And let there be no misunderstanding—we are going to begin to act, beginning today. |
| The economic ills we suffer have come upon us
over several decades. They will not go away in days, weeks, or months, but they will go
away. They will go away because we, as Americans, have the capacity now, as we have had in
the past, to do whatever needs to be done to preserve this last and greatest bastion of
freedom. |
| In this present crisis, government is not the
solution to our problem. |
| From time to time, we have been tempted to
believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by
an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. But if no one among
us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone
else? All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden. The solutions we
seek must be equitable, with no one group singled out to pay a higher price. |
| We hear much of special interest groups. Our
concern must be for a special interest group that has been too long neglected. It knows no
sectional boundaries or ethnic and racial divisions, and it crosses political party lines.
It is made up of men and women who raise our food, patrol our streets, man our mines and
our factories, teach our children, keep our homes, and heal us when we are
sick—professionals, industrialists, shopkeepers, clerks, cabbies, and truckdrivers.
They are, in short, "We the people," this breed called Americans. |
| Well, this administration's objective will be a
healthy, vigorous, growing economy that provides equal opportunity for all Americans, with
no barriers born of bigotry or discrimination. Putting America back to work means putting
all Americans back to work. Ending inflation means freeing all Americans from the terror
of runaway living costs. All must share in the productive work of this "new
beginning" and all must share in the bounty of a revived economy. With the idealism
and fair play which are the core of our system and our strength, we can have a strong and
prosperous America at peace with itself and the world. |
| So, as we begin, let us take inventory. We are a
nation that has a government—not the other way around. And this makes us special
among the nations of the Earth. Our Government has no power except that granted it by the
people. It is time to check and reverse the growth of government which shows signs of
having grown beyond the consent of the governed. |
| It is my intention to curb the size and
influence of the Federal establishment and to demand recognition of the distinction
between the powers granted to the Federal Government and those reserved to the States or
to the people. All of us need to be reminded that the Federal Government did not create
the States; the States created the Federal Government. |
| Now, so there will be no misunderstanding, it is
not my intention to do away with government. It is, rather, to make it work—work with
us, not over us; to stand by our side, not ride on our back. Government can and must
provide opportunity, not smother it; foster productivity, not stifle it. |
| If we look to the answer as to why, for so many
years, we achieved so much, prospered as no other people on Earth, it was because here, in
this land, we unleashed the energy and individual genius of man to a greater extent than
has ever been done before. Freedom and the dignity of the individual have been more
available and assured here than in any other place on Earth. The price for this freedom at
times has been high, but we have never been unwilling to pay that price. |
| It is no coincidence that our present troubles
parallel and are proportionate to the intervention and intrusion in our lives that result
from unnecessary and excessive growth of government. It is time for us to realize that we
are too great a nation to limit ourselves to small dreams. We are not, as some would have
us believe, doomed to an inevitable decline. I do not believe in a fate that will fall on
us no matter what we do. I do believe in a fate that will fall on us if we do nothing. So,
with all the creative energy at our command, let us begin an era of national renewal. Let
us renew our determination, our courage, and our strength. And let us renew our faith and
our hope. |
| We have every right to dream heroic dreams.
Those who say that we are in a time when there are no heroes just don't know where to
look. You can see heroes every day going in and out of factory gates. Others, a handful in
number, produce enough food to feed all of us and then the world beyond. You meet heroes
across a counter—and they are on both sides of that counter. There are entrepreneurs
with faith in themselves and faith in an idea who create new jobs, new wealth and
opportunity. They are individuals and families whose taxes support the Government and
whose voluntary gifts support church, charity, culture, art, and education. Their
patriotism is quiet but deep. Their values sustain our national life. |
| I have used the words "they" and
"their" in speaking of these heroes. I could say "you" and
"your" because I am addressing the heroes of whom I speak—you, the citizens
of this blessed land. Your dreams, your hopes, your goals are going to be the dreams, the
hopes, and the goals of this administration, so help me God. |
| We shall reflect the compassion that is so much
a part of your makeup. How can we love our country and not love our countrymen, and loving
them, reach out a hand when they fall, heal them when they are sick, and provide
opportunities to make them self-sufficient so they will be equal in fact and not just in
theory? |
| Can we solve the problems confronting us? Well,
the answer is an unequivocal and emphatic "yes." To paraphrase Winston
Churchill, I did not take the oath I have just taken with the intention of presiding over
the dissolution of the world's strongest economy. |
| In the days ahead I will propose removing the
roadblocks that have slowed our economy and reduced productivity. Steps will be taken
aimed at restoring the balance between the various levels of government. Progress may be
slow—measured in inches and feet, not miles—but we will progress. Is it time to
reawaken this industrial giant, to get government back within its means, and to lighten
our punitive tax burden. And these will be our first priorities, and on these principles,
there will be no compromise. |
| On the eve of our struggle for independence a
man who might have been one of the greatest among the Founding Fathers, Dr. Joseph Warren,
President of the Massachusetts Congress, said to his fellow Americans, "Our country
is in danger, but not to be despaired of.... On you depend the fortunes of America. You
are to decide the important questions upon which rests the happiness and the liberty of
millions yet unborn. Act worthy of yourselves." |
| Well, I believe we, the Americans of today, are
ready to act worthy of ourselves, ready to do what must be done to ensure happiness and
liberty for ourselves, our children and our children's children. |
| And as we renew ourselves here in our own land,
we will be seen as having greater strength throughout the world. We will again be the
exemplar of freedom and a beacon of hope for those who do not now have freedom. |
| To those neighbors and allies who share our
freedom, we will strengthen our historic ties and assure them of our support and firm
commitment. We will match loyalty with loyalty. We will strive for mutually beneficial
relations. We will not use our friendship to impose on their sovereignty, for our own
sovereignty is not for sale. |
| As for the enemies of freedom, those who are
potential adversaries, they will be reminded that peace is the highest aspiration of the
American people. We will negotiate for it, sacrifice for it; we will not surrender for
it—now or ever. |
| Our forbearance should never be misunderstood.
Our reluctance for conflict should not be misjudged as a failure of will. When action is
required to preserve our national security, we will act. We will maintain sufficient
strength to prevail if need be, knowing that if we do so we have the best chance of never
having to use that strength. |
| 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 in today's world 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. |
| I am told that tens of thousands of prayer
meetings are being held on this day, and for that I am deeply grateful. We are a nation
under God, and I believe God intended for us to be free. It would be fitting and good, I
think, if on each Inauguration Day in future years it should be declared a day of prayer. |
| This is the first time in history that this
ceremony has been held, as you have been told, on this West Front of the Capitol. Standing
here, one faces a magnificent vista, opening up on this city's special beauty and history.
At the end of this open mall are those shrines to the giants on whose shoulders we stand. |
| Directly in front of me, the monument to a
monumental man: George Washington, Father of our country. A man of humility who came to
greatness reluctantly. He led America out of revolutionary victory into infant nationhood.
Off to one side, the stately memorial to Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration of Independence
flames with his eloquence. |
| And then beyond the Reflecting Pool the
dignified columns of the Lincoln Memorial. Whoever would understand in his heart the
meaning of America will find it in the life of Abraham Lincoln. |
| Beyond those monuments to heroism is the Potomac
River, and on the far shore the sloping hills of Arlington National Cemetery with its row
on row of simple white markers bearing crosses or Stars of David. They add up to only a
tiny fraction of the price that has been paid for our freedom. |
| Each one of those markers is a monument to the
kinds of hero I spoke of earlier. Their lives ended in places called Belleau Wood, The
Argonne, Omaha Beach, Salerno and halfway around the world on Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Pork
Chop Hill, the Chosin Reservoir, and in a hundred rice paddies and jungles of a place
called Vietnam. |
| Under one such marker lies a young
man—Martin Treptow—who left his job in a small town barber shop in 1917 to go to
France with the famed Rainbow Division. There, on the western front, he was killed trying
to carry a message between battalions under heavy artillery fire. |
| We are told that on his body was found a diary.
On the flyleaf under the heading, "My Pledge," he had written these words:
"America must win this war. Therefore, I will work, I will save, I will sacrifice, I
will endure, I will fight cheerfully and do my utmost, as if the issue of the whole
struggle depended on me alone." |
| The crisis we are facing today does not require
of us the kind of sacrifice that Martin Treptow and so many thousands of others were
called upon to make. It does require, however, our best effort, and our willingness to
believe in ourselves and to believe in our capacity to perform great deeds; to believe
that together, with God's help, we can and will resolve the problems which now confront
us. |
| And, after all, why shouldn't we believe that?
We are Americans. God bless you, and thank you. |
Back
to Ronald Reagan
Executive Oath of Office
"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."
United States Constitution, Article II,
Section 1, Clause 8
nextPage
back in Time
1George Washington, 2John
Adamsl, 3Thomas Jefferson, 4James Madison, 5James
Monroe, 6John Quincy Adams, 7Andrew Jackson, 8Martin
Van Buren,9William H Harrison,10John Tyler,11James K
Polk, 12Zachary Taylor, 13Millard Fillmore,14Franklin
Pierce,15James Buchanan,16Abraham Lincoln, 17Andrew
Johnson, 18Ulysses S Grant,19Rutherford B Hayes, 20James A Garfield, 21Chester
A. Arthur, 22Grover
Cleveland,23Benjamin Harrison, 24Grover Cleveland, 25William
McKinley,26Theodore Roosevelt, 27William H. Taft,28Woodrow Wilson, 29Warren
G. Harding,30Calvin Coolidge,31Herbert Hoover,32Franklin
D Roosevelt,33Harry S.
Truman, 34Dwight D Eisenhower,35John F Kennedy, 36Lyndon
B Johnson, 37RichardN. Nixon, 38Gerald R Ford, 39James E
Carter,40Ronald
W. Reagan, 41George
HerbertW. Bush, 42Bill Clinton,
43George Walker Bush
last updated
02/19/07
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