How will President Barack Obama’s inauguration speech go down in history?
He began by thanking President Bush for his service, as well as the generosity and cooperation the transition, but then made several pointed references to policies and directions that he plans to change.
He spoke specifically of the problems of the economic meltdown including home foreclosure, job loss, as well as issues of healthcare, the environment and international relations.
President Obama traced the history of the United States as a story of people committed to freedom and liberty and extended his hand to people and governments around the world.
This was the largest gathering for a presidential inauguration in history.
Quotes
“Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions – who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.”- President Barack Obama
“Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.”- President Obama
“As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake.”- President Obama
“Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends – hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism – these things are old. These things are true.”- President Obama
Warm Up Questions
1. What are Barack Obama’s core ideas?
2. Did you watch the inauguration? What do you remember from it?
3. How important is the inaugural address?
Discussion Questions
1. What was the most important part of the speech for you? Why did it resonate with you?
2. What was surprising in the speech? Was there anything you were not expecting?
3. Look at past inaugural addresses. How does his compare?
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/teachers/lessonplans/us/jan-june09/obama_inauguration_address.html.
4. How will you judge whether President Barack Obama is doing what he said he would do? What issues are most important to you? How will you track those issues?
Additional Resources