Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:--"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."
January 20, 2009 will mark the fifty-sixth Inaugural Ceremony since the first for George Washington in 1789, and Barack Obama will embark upon the forty-fourth separate American presidency. With the acceptance of this oath a private citizen assumes the executive authority of the American government, is symbolically invested with the hopes of the American people and becomes the single most powerful person on Earth.
As we prepare to welcome the new chief executive and wish him and our country a successful next four years, it is difficult not to think back nineteen inaugurations and seventy-six years ago, to March 4, 1933. Consider the parallels between now and that distant time beyond the memories of most now living, when Franklin D. Roosevelt took the oath of office. As he looked out to an estimated crowd of 150,000 gathered at the steps of the Capitol, the former Governor of New York had much to contemplate.
A new president was set to be inaugurated, a new kind of candidate who personified can-do optimism and dramatic change. He was to replace an unpopular predecessor in the midst of economic turmoil and uncertainty. Huge financial institutions had closed their doors. Millions had lost their jobs, their savings and their homes. Millions more feared they would be next. Not only was the confidence of the people shaken from within, but purveyors of violent ideologies threatened aggression from without.
If you feel that sounds a lot like today, you are not alone. There are a number of interesting parallels between 1933 and 2009, but there are important differences as well. We'll take a closer look in the next edition.
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