The inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris - PBS NewsHour special coverage
Author: PBS NewsHour
https://youtu.be/D4wF0snbC00
1 additions to document , most recent over 3 years ago
| When | Why |
|---|---|
| Jan-21-21 | Transcript of the Inaugural Address |
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Is unity a “foolish fantasy”? How do we work toward it?
I believe that everyone should get to know about the policies we will have new.
This pandemic is killing many here in the United States than other places in the world.
There are going to be repairs and things being stored, much to heal and much to gain.
A
My thoughts on this are that it might be something very strong coming our way.
Agreed! After the horrible year we’ve been through, we need someone to step up and really clean up our act. I have hope that Biden will stick to his plans/policies.
I love the way she turns toward the flag toward the end. She brought her whole soul!
Americans are greater than their past and have the ability to fight for what they believe in. And when that happens, the country progresses to a more ideal state. Only with progress can we continue moving forward.
Here, Biden pledges to be a president for every American. This refreshing tag line was used throughout his campaign, and I am interested to see what he will do both differently and similarly to Donald Trump. Representing everyone as a whole is one of the most important roles as commander-in-chief. A president who will not work for all Americans will have a difficult time gaining support from differing demographics.
I like the immediate transparency here. From this section, it becomes clear where the Biden Administration’s priorities are. I am interested to see how these will be executed.
President Biden made no direct reference to former President Trump by name – perhaps to allow the hurt to heal. His speech embodied unity. We are not able to move forward if we obsess over the past. I think with this, Biden was trying to get people to think from the perspective of progression instead of malice
Added January 21, 2021 at 1:31pm
by Paul Allison
Title: Transcript of the Inaugural Address
Inaugural Address by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
•
The United States Capitol
11:52 AM EST
THE PRESIDENT: Chief Justice Roberts, Vice President Harris, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, Vice President Pence, distinguished guests, and my fellow Americans.
This is America’s day.
This sentence provides unity among our very broken country. Biden tells the United States that we need to be united because this day is dedicated to our unity. He begins with a hopeful tone and shows that unity really is possible. This is a great example of a leader, he takes the attention off of himself and puts it towards the country.
This is democracy’s day.
Especially with the events leading up to the inauguration in the previous week, the goal of this statement is to reaffirm democracy as the foundation of our country.
A day of history and hope.
Of renewal and resolve.
Biden uses alliteration with “history and hope” and “renewal and resolve” to emphasize these ideas.
Through a crucible for the ages America has been tested anew and America has risen to the challenge.
Today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy.
I agree that the positivity attracts more people and could possible mend the divide that has been inflicted upon our nation recently. Biden choses to embody the will of the people rather than his own at this point in and throughout the speech. He reinforces the idea that he is not only a servant of the people, but it is his duty to act out their will, despite the challenges from opposing forced at odds with democracy. he was trying to make that day not about him winning and trump losing but instead celebrating our country coming back together. Already, Biden is focused on the topic of preservation of democracy
The will of the people has been heard and the will of the people has been heeded.
We have learned again that democracy is precious.
Democracy is fragile.
And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.
So now, on this hallowed ground where just days ago violence sought to shake this Capitol’s very foundation, we come together as one nation, under God, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries.
It’s interesting how Biden calls out Trump because Trump was the first president in over 150 years to miss his successor’s inauguration. The inauguration is known as the peaceful transfer of power because one president hands down their role to the next president as a ceremonial event.
We look ahead in our uniquely American way – restless, bold, optimistic – and set our sights on the nation we know we can be and we must be.
I thank my predecessors of both parties for their presence here.
I thank them from the bottom of my heart.
You know the resilience of our Constitution and the strength of our nation.
As does President Carter, who I spoke to last night but who cannot be with us today, but whom we salute for his lifetime of service.
I have just taken the sacred oath each of these patriots took — an oath first sworn by George Washington.
But the American story depends not on any one of us, not on some of us, but on all of us.
On “We the People” who seek a more perfect Union.
Biden references the Constitution of the United States to make a statement of the United States to find the democracy the country needs.
This is a great nation and we are a good people.
Over the centuries through storm and strife, in peace and in war, we have come so far.
But we still have far to go.
We will press forward with speed and urgency, for we have much to do in this winter of peril and possibility.
Much to repair.
Much to restore.
Much to heal.
Much to build.
And much to gain.
Repeats the same basic phrases with different words in order to show that there is a lot of things that need to be healed from the past couple of years. Uses repetition to really get the point across. Biden uses repetition to emphasize how much there is to be done.
Few periods in our nation’s history have been more challenging or difficult than the one we’re in now.
A once-in-a-century virus silently stalks the country.
It’s taken as many lives in one year as America lost in all of World War II.
Millions of jobs have been lost.
Hundreds of thousands of businesses closed.
A cry for racial justice some 400 years in the making moves us.
The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer.
A cry for survival comes from the planet itself.
A cry that can’t be any more desperate or any more clear.
And now, a rise in political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront and we will defeat.
To overcome these challenges – to restore the soul and to secure the future of America – requires more than words.
It requires that most elusive of things in a democracy:
Unity.
Unity.
He uses “we” and “us” frequently to signal to his audience, America, that we must work together in order to accomplish justice and overcome the challenges that threaten modern Americans. This all points towards a central theme of unity, coming together, which makes a lot of sense after the fairly recent attack on the capital and the increasing lack of cooperation, compromise, and understanding between political parties.
In another January in Washington, on New Year’s Day 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
When he put pen to paper, the President said, “If my name ever goes down into history it will be for this act and my whole soul is in it.”
Biden repeats this phrase three times in three adjacent lines to show his dedication to bringing America together and uniting it’s people. He also compares his dedication to the dedication of Abraham Lincoln to the Emancipation Proclamation by mentioning that Lincoln also used this phrase in 1863 when he signed that order.
My whole soul is in it.
Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this:
Bringing America together.
Uniting our people.
And uniting our nation.
I ask every American to join me in this cause.
Uniting to fight the common foes we face:
Anger, resentment, hatred.
Extremism, lawlessness, violence.
Disease, joblessness, hopelessness.
With unity we can do great things.
Important things.
We can right wrongs.
We can put people to work in good jobs.
We can teach our children in safe schools.
We can overcome this deadly virus.
We can reward work, rebuild the middle class, and make health care
We can deliver racial justice.
We can make America, once again, the leading force for good in the world.
I know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy.
I know the forces that divide us are deep and they are real.
But I also know they are not new.
Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we are all created equal and the harsh, ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, and demonization have long torn us apart.
The battle is perennial.
Victory is never assured.
Through the Civil War, the Great Depression, World War, 9/11, through struggle, sacrifice, and setbacks, our “better angels” have always prevailed.
The comparison shows how President Biden understands the seriousness of the pandemic, and he recognizes the lives that were lost. He is going to try hard to make sure we move foward.
In each of these moments, enough of us came together to carry all of us forward.
And, we can do so now.
History, faith, and reason show the way, the way of unity.
“History, faith, and reason show the way, the way of unity.” As Biden speaks, he continuously mentions the idea of unity among our people. Although he continues to talk about harmony, his tone and voice are changing. During this part of the speech, he seems hurt that a country as great as ours could be divided. He transfers from being hopeful to being sad that the country has become this way, but then becomes a powerful speaker and provides reasons and examples of how we will fix our country later in the text.
We can see each other not as adversaries but as neighbors.
We can treat each other with dignity and respect.
We can join forces, stop the shouting, and lower the temperature.
For without unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and fury.
Biden makes his case about the importance of unity by initially describing the “way of unity” and what the people of America could do collectively to improve on this. With line 81 onwards, Biden uses contrasting ideas to show the positives and negatives of unity: (no peace/bitterness and fury) (no progress/exhausting outrage) (no nation/state of chaos).
No progress, only exhausting outrage.
No nation, only a state of chaos.
This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge, and unity is the path forward.
And, we must meet this moment as the United States of America.
If we do that, I guarantee you, we will not fail.
We have never, ever, ever failed in America when we have acted together.
A search for Unity has always been the defining factor of American democracy, so often defined by the divisions within the government and the people. Biden harkens back to Lincoln’s ideals of a United America in which we stand together to fight for the ideals of liberty and justice wherein common ground can be found.
And so today, at this time and in this place, let us start afresh.
All of us.
Let us listen to one another.
Hear one another.
Show respect to one another.
Here, Biden says “Les us listen to one another, hear one another, see one another, show respect to one another.” He uses repetition and parallel structure of “x-one another” to hammer home the point that America can only be rebuilt when everyone is united and together, helping each other both on the individual level, as well as the whole nation.
Politics need not be a raging fire destroying everything in its path.
Every disagreement doesn’t have to be a cause for total war.
And, we must reject a culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured.
My fellow Americans, we have to be different than this.
Biden uses the word “we” a lot to show that they are all in this together. His main theme is unity and he shows it by connecting himself to American citizens.
America has to be better than this.
And, I believe America is better than this.
Just look around.
Here we stand, in the shadow of a Capitol dome that was completed amid the Civil War, when the Union itself hung in the balance.
Here Biden reflects on instances where American history prides itself for justice, endurance through adversity and work for equality. He highlights this to refocus America to build upon these moments and continue to create an the America in which Martin Luther dreamed. Biden acknowledges the riots at the Capitol as well as historically, the Civil War when the Capitol building was built. I feel he makes this statement to show how the Capitol represents hope and democracy despite all the destruction and violence in the country, even the events at the Capitol building.
Yet we endured and we prevailed.
Here we stand looking out to the great Mall where Dr. King spoke of his dream.
Here we stand, where 108 years ago at another inaugural, thousands of protestors tried to block brave women from marching for the right to vote.
Today, we mark the swearing-in of the first woman in American history elected to national office – Vice President Kamala Harris.
Don’t tell me things can’t change.
Here we stand across the Potomac from Arlington National Cemetery, where heroes who gave the last full measure of devotion rest in eternal peace.
And here we stand, just days after a riotous mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people, to stop the work of our democracy, and to drive us from this sacred ground.
That did not happen.
It will never happen.
Not today.
Not tomorrow.
Not ever.
To all those who supported our campaign I am humbled by the faith you have placed in us.
To all those who did not support us, let me say this: Hear me out as we move forward.
Take a measure of me and my heart.
Here Biden starts to use “I” more often, indicating that he is discussing topics and making promises that are far more personal to him. This is supported by the fact that instead of mentioning more historical events/quotes, he instead uses a quote from a saint of his church, which is far more personal. He also seems to shift to directly talking to those who did not support him by pledging his loyalty to them and telling them to remember their responsibilities as Americans, be wary of those who feed them lies in order to gain power, and not to retreat into echo chambers.
And if you still disagree, so be it.
That’s democracy.
That’s America.
The right to dissent peaceably, within the guardrails of our Republic, is perhaps our nation’s greatest strength.
Yet hear me clearly: Disagreement must not lead to disunion.
And I pledge this to you: I will be a President for all Americans.
I will fight as hard for those who did not support me as for those who did.
Many centuries ago, Saint Augustine, a saint of my church, wrote that a people was a multitude defined by the common objects of their love.
What are the common objects we love that define us as Americans?
I think I know.
Opportunity.
Security.
Liberty.
Dignity.
Respect.
Honor.
And, yes, the truth.
Recent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson.
There is truth and there are lies.
Lies told for power and for profit.
And each of us has a duty and responsibility, as citizens, as Americans, and especially as leaders – leaders who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our nation — to defend the truth and to defeat the lies.
I understand that many Americans view the future with some fear and trepidation.
I understand they worry about their jobs, about taking care of their families, about what comes next.
I get it.
But the answer is not to turn inward, to retreat into competing factions, distrusting those who don’t look like you do, or worship the way you do, or don’t get their news from the same sources you do.
We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal.
Biden uses contrasting words (red/blue), (rural/urban), (conservative/liberal) to emphasize the great rift in the population of America. He also calls their situation an “uncivil war” to show the stupidity of the way people are acting towards one another.
We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts.
If we show a little tolerance and humility.
If we’re willing to stand in the other person’s shoes just for a moment.
President Biden understands that you don’t choose the life you want, you are simply given one, and you never know what is in store. He calls for Americans to be kinder, and open-minded to others because you never know what they maybe going through.
There are some days when we need a hand.
There are other days when we’re called on to lend one.
That is how we must be with one another.
And, if we are this way, our country will be stronger, more prosperous, more ready for the future.
My fellow Americans, in the work ahead of us, we will need each other.
We will need all our strength to persevere through this dark winter.
We are entering what may well be the toughest and deadliest period of the virus.
We must set aside the politics and finally face this pandemic as one nation.
I promise you this: as the Bible says weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning.
We will get through this, together
The world is watching today.
So here is my message to those beyond our borders: America has been tested and we have come out stronger for it.
We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again.
Not to meet yesterday’s challenges, but today’s and tomorrow’s.
We will lead not merely by the example of our power but by the power of our example.
We will be a strong and trusted partner for peace, progress, and security.
We have been through so much in this nation.
And, in my first act as President, I would like to ask you to join me in a moment of silent prayer to remember all those we lost this past year to the pandemic.
To those 400,000 fellow Americans – mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, friends, neighbors, and co-workers.
He understands how many people have been affected by this pandemic, not only by losing jobs but losing loved ones as well.
We will honor them by becoming the people and nation we know we can and should be.
Let us say a silent prayer for those who lost their lives, for those they left behind, and for our country.
Biden is Catholic, however, this statement doesn’t come off as highly religious, yet more bounding with the American people.
Amen.
This is a time of testing.
We face an attack on democracy and on truth.
There are no two things Trump seems to oppose more than Democracy and the truth. Throughout his presidency and onward he shows a contempt for both and a willingness to obstruct and destroy whenever he can, the Capitol attack being a prime example. Biden acknowledges this contempt, and vows to move past it and bring America into a more enlightened age.
A raging virus.
Growing inequity.
The sting of systemic racism.
A climate in crisis.
America’s role in the world.
Any one of these would be enough to challenge us in profound ways.
But the fact is we face them all at once, presenting this nation with the gravest of responsibilities.
Now we must step up.
All of us.
It is a time for boldness, for there is so much to do.
Towards the end of his speech, he becomes hopeful for a second time. Biden explains how he was genuinely hurt to see our country fall in the previous section, and now he explains how he is going to make America the country that he loved again. His tone becomes optimistic and energetic. He wants to show the world that he is genuinely excited to see and make America great again.
And, this is certain.
We will be judged, you and I, for how we resolve the cascading crises of our era.
Will we rise to the occasion?
Will we master this rare and difficult hour?
Will we meet our obligations and pass along a new and better world for our children?
In this section, Biden was trying to sympathize with fellow Americans. He was trying to find a common ground between us all. By doing this made him seem more normal and realistic.
I believe we must and I believe we will.
And when we do, we will write the next chapter in the American story.
It’s a story that might sound something like a song that means a lot to me.
It’s called “American Anthem” and there is one verse stands out for me:
“The work and prayers
Let us add our own work and prayers to the unfolding story of our nation.
If we do this then when our days are through our children and our children’s children will say of us they gave their best.
They did their duty.
They healed a broken land.
Before God and all of you I give you my word.
I will always level with you.
I will defend the Constitution.
I will defend our democracy.
I will defend America.
I will give my all in your service thinking not of power, but of possibilities.
Not of personal interest, but of the public good.
And together, we shall write an American story of hope, not fear.
Of unity, not division.
Of light, not darkness.
An American story of decency and dignity.
Of love and of healing.
Of greatness and of goodness.
May this be the story that guides us.
The story that inspires us.
The story that tells ages yet to come that we answered the call of history.
We met the moment.
That democracy and hope, truth and justice, did not die on our watch but thrived.
That our America secured liberty at home and stood once again as a beacon to the world.
That is what we owe our forebearers, one another, and generations to follow.
He speaks about how there have been a lot of bag things happening recently, but that Americans are better than that, and that things will continue to get better. He talks about democracy and justice to show that it is not completely gone
So, with purpose and resolve we turn to the tasks of our time.
Sustained by faith.
Driven by conviction.
And, devoted to one another and to this country we love with all our hearts.
May God bless America and may God protect our troops.
Thank you, America.
END
12:13 pm EST
secure for all.
See one another.
Because here is the thing about life: There is no accounting for what fate will deal you.
of centuries have brought us to this day
What shall be our legacy?
What will our children say?…
Let me know in my heart
When my days are through
America
America
I gave my best to you.”
My fellow Americans, I close today where I began, with a sacred oath.
General Document Comments 0
The theme of unity seemed to play the main focus – do you feel it carried all the way through?
bringing “normalcy” back to Washington – what is normalcy to everyone, even those that disagree?
The terms “forged” and “crucible”
I wonder how many of our students will pick up on this word choice and what a crucible is (and symbolizes). I have a small one in Room 407 and we talk about heat. About pressure. About what is on the inside and what happens on the outside. And the relationship between the two.
I liked how he said that he will help and support the ones who don’t like him or are not with him. It made me think of other presidents (Trump) who wouldn’t care at all who don’t support him. I hope Biden doesn’t turn out like Trump who did very racist things.
What did you think of the presentation by poet laureate Amanda Gorman? As a young poet, it is true you can still make a difference! Do you agree?
I enjoy the idea of centering Amanda Gorman today as the voice of youth in poetry. Her message was inclusive and illuminating at the same time. I think classroom teachers will have a lot of fun analyzing the internal poetic workings of the piece. Many were audible in the live stream. I cannot wait to see the text and I hope that we have an illustrated version of the poem soon (as we did Blanco’s One Day). I have a small print of Elizabeth Alexander’s “Praise Song for the Day”
When watching the inauguration the ting that stuck out to me the most was when President Biden was transported through the streets of Washington D.C. The streets were lied with army soldiers and fences with barbwire at the top of them. People believed President Biden was going to have people to assassinate him.
It’s sad to watch as the soon to be President has to be guarded by armed soldiers.
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