The Inauguration of 1979
Jimmy Carter was the first president to be elected and inaugurated following Watergate. Richard Nixon's resignation from office and Gerald Ford's pardon of Nixon had shaken the faith of many in the integrity of the institution of the Presidency. Carter, elected on the strength of a reputation for honesty and as a Washington outsider, sought to rebuild that trust, and tried to set that tone in his inauguration.
Carter took the Oath with a Family Bible, open to Micah 6:8 ("He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.") He took the oath using the Bible originally used by George Washington in his 1789 inauguration. This Bible, which had originally belonged to Washington, was at the time in the possession of St. John's Masonic Lodge No. 1. The weather was cold, but sunny, with the estimated noon time temperature was at about 28 degrees. The weather did not deter many from attending. Chief Justice Warren Burger administered the oath of office. Carter ended the Oath with the famous words, "so help me God"
Carter gave a 1,228 word inaugural address. He began by thanking his predecessor "for all he has done to heal our land." He spoke of bringing "a new spirit among us all" and urged Americans to "reject the prospect of failure or mediocrity". He expressed the desire that someday "the nations of the world might say that we had built a lasting peace, built not on weapons of war but on international policies which reflect our own most precious values".
Following the ceremony, Carter became the first president to walk from the Capitol to the White House in the post-ceremony parade. He requested that the traditional Inaugural luncheon, an event hosted by the JCCIC (Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies), be canceled. Songs performed at Carter's inauguration included Willie Nelson's "Crazy," sung by Linda Ronstadt, Irving Berlin's "God Bless America," sung by Aretha Franklin, "Take Care of This House" from the Broadway musical 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue by Leonard Bernstein and Alan Jay Lerner, performed by Frederica von Stade and the National Symphony Orchestra, and "Bess, You Is My Woman Now" from George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess (lyrics by DuBose Heyward), sung by Donnie Ray Albert and Clamma Dale.
In his 1982 autobiography Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President, Carter wrote:
"I had tried to express in my inaugural address as simply and clearly as possible my ambitions for America. Over a period of several weeks I had done a great deal of work on these few words, and in the process had read the inaugural addresses of the Presidents who served before me. I was touched most of all by Woodrow Wilson's. Like him, I felt I was taking office at a time when Americans desired a return to the first principles by their government. His call for national repentance also seemed appropriate, although I feared that a modern audience might not understand a similar call from me... I kept my address very brief - one of the briefest of all. Its sentiments were compatible with my announcement as a candidate in December 1974 and with my acceptance speech at the Democratic convention. It foreshadowed the thrust of my administration, and even the farewell address I was to give almost four years later."
Following is a five minute video of portions of the inaugural address:
Carter took the Oath with a Family Bible, open to Micah 6:8 ("He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.") He took the oath using the Bible originally used by George Washington in his 1789 inauguration. This Bible, which had originally belonged to Washington, was at the time in the possession of St. John's Masonic Lodge No. 1. The weather was cold, but sunny, with the estimated noon time temperature was at about 28 degrees. The weather did not deter many from attending. Chief Justice Warren Burger administered the oath of office. Carter ended the Oath with the famous words, "so help me God"
Carter gave a 1,228 word inaugural address. He began by thanking his predecessor "for all he has done to heal our land." He spoke of bringing "a new spirit among us all" and urged Americans to "reject the prospect of failure or mediocrity". He expressed the desire that someday "the nations of the world might say that we had built a lasting peace, built not on weapons of war but on international policies which reflect our own most precious values".
Following the ceremony, Carter became the first president to walk from the Capitol to the White House in the post-ceremony parade. He requested that the traditional Inaugural luncheon, an event hosted by the JCCIC (Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies), be canceled. Songs performed at Carter's inauguration included Willie Nelson's "Crazy," sung by Linda Ronstadt, Irving Berlin's "God Bless America," sung by Aretha Franklin, "Take Care of This House" from the Broadway musical 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue by Leonard Bernstein and Alan Jay Lerner, performed by Frederica von Stade and the National Symphony Orchestra, and "Bess, You Is My Woman Now" from George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess (lyrics by DuBose Heyward), sung by Donnie Ray Albert and Clamma Dale.
In his 1982 autobiography Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President, Carter wrote:
"I had tried to express in my inaugural address as simply and clearly as possible my ambitions for America. Over a period of several weeks I had done a great deal of work on these few words, and in the process had read the inaugural addresses of the Presidents who served before me. I was touched most of all by Woodrow Wilson's. Like him, I felt I was taking office at a time when Americans desired a return to the first principles by their government. His call for national repentance also seemed appropriate, although I feared that a modern audience might not understand a similar call from me... I kept my address very brief - one of the briefest of all. Its sentiments were compatible with my announcement as a candidate in December 1974 and with my acceptance speech at the Democratic convention. It foreshadowed the thrust of my administration, and even the farewell address I was to give almost four years later."
Following is a five minute video of portions of the inaugural address: