Wrapping Up Inaugural Addresses
The inaugural address, especially for a brand new President, is often thought to be a road map for the coming administration, and to give the public that President's vision for the next four years. In most cases, it is a matter of "the best laid plans", but things rarely seem to turn out the way. More often the words of John Lennon apply: "Life is what happens to us when we're making other plans."
In some cases, it was clear that the President was being disingenuous about something set out in his inaugural address. Probably the most glaring example of this was when Andrew Jackson, minutes after taking his oath, told the nation:
" It will be my sincere and constant desire to observe toward the Indian tribes within our limits a just and liberal policy, and to give that humane and considerate attention to their rights and their wants which is consistent with the habits of our Government and the feelings of our people."
No doubt, the nation's indigenous people would not describe Jackson's policies towards them as "just and liberal" or one that was "humane and considerate." Conversely, despite the debate over whether or not James K. Polk "met his every goal", he did follow up on his expressed intention to seek to acquire Oregon and to promote expansionism.
In reviewing a number of inaugural addresses, there have been a number of common elements that could form part of a template for such speeches. These themes include:
1. Thanking the outgoing president: The praise is generally more glowing when the previous president was a member of the same party as the new president, while it is more brief when the president is from the other side of the aisle. In some cases, where the election has been particularly acrimonious or personal, this step is omitted. (Once again Andrew Jackson comes to mind).
2. Expressing admiration for the constitution: It is difficult for someone who has just taken an oath or affirmed to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution" to then be critical of it. Some have promised to press for amendments, others have taken issue with how the courts have interpreted it, but to my knowledge, none have directly criticized it. Following the Constitution was especially underscored when slavery was still tolerated under it, as presidents like Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan and others reminded abolitionists that the practice was condoned under the nation's highest law. Early presidents would use their inaugural address as an excuse to educate their audience and give a primer of how government works. This is one of the reasons why William Henry Harrison's speech was four or five times as long as most of the others. Mercifully, recent presidents have departed from this practice.
3. Looking at how far the nation has come and how it has survived adversity: Presidents like to inject a note of optimism for the coming days under their watch by reminding their audience that "we've been through tough times before and we always come through." The difference in characterizing whether the nation is in tough times now turns on whether the president is succeeding someone from his own party or from the other team. President Trump's recent address is a good example of describing how bad the mess is that was left by the guy leaving office. This can also be seen in the inaugural addresses delivered by Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama, Grover Cleveland and Jimmy Carter. Conversely, the addresses delivered by George H. W. Bush, James Monroe and Theodore Roosevelt.
4. Promising peace to all nations, as long as they fly right: Every president seems to want to promise that the nation will not interfere with another nation's business, and to contribute world peace. The message seems to be accompanied by the warning that aggression against U.S. interests will not be tolerated. Presidents have generally phrased their commitment to peace in such a way as to assure the public that their sons and daughters will not be used as cannon fodder in intervening in a conflict on the other side of the world, while keeping the door propped open for the possibility that some muscle flexing by the world's strongest military power will be required to put the brakes on some tin pot dictator.
5. Invoking the Almighty: Presidents always ask for God's protection for the nation and many end their address by asking God to bless the nation. Thus far only Barack Obama has acknowledged in his address that agnostics make up a part of the nation. Many remind their audience of the importance of Freedom of Religion. Dwight Eisenhower once repeated the adage that there are no atheists in a foxhole, and perhaps all are acknowledging that the task they are about to embark on is too overwhelming without the aid of a Higher Power. It is reminiscent of the sign that John F. Kennedy kept on his desk: "Oh Lord, your sea is so great and my boat is so small."
Inaugural addresses are often fountains of tremendous eloquence. Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Barack Obama all have left a lasting legacy of presidential eloquence, such that "the better angels of our nature", and "nothing to fear but fear itself" have stood the test of time and remain a part of our political lexicon. They have also been a monument to the wisdom of George Washington, whose precedent setting example continues to guide presidents more than two centuries after his passing.
It will be a subject of debate whether inaugural addresses are mere window dressing for a presidency, or whether they cement the principles that the next administration is expected to follow. If nothing else, they can serve as a yardstick to measure whether or not, in the words of the new president, one is "all talk and no action." No doubt many pundits are already creating their scorecards to measure whether or not President Trump will "meet his every goal."
In some cases, it was clear that the President was being disingenuous about something set out in his inaugural address. Probably the most glaring example of this was when Andrew Jackson, minutes after taking his oath, told the nation:
" It will be my sincere and constant desire to observe toward the Indian tribes within our limits a just and liberal policy, and to give that humane and considerate attention to their rights and their wants which is consistent with the habits of our Government and the feelings of our people."
No doubt, the nation's indigenous people would not describe Jackson's policies towards them as "just and liberal" or one that was "humane and considerate." Conversely, despite the debate over whether or not James K. Polk "met his every goal", he did follow up on his expressed intention to seek to acquire Oregon and to promote expansionism.
In reviewing a number of inaugural addresses, there have been a number of common elements that could form part of a template for such speeches. These themes include:
1. Thanking the outgoing president: The praise is generally more glowing when the previous president was a member of the same party as the new president, while it is more brief when the president is from the other side of the aisle. In some cases, where the election has been particularly acrimonious or personal, this step is omitted. (Once again Andrew Jackson comes to mind).
2. Expressing admiration for the constitution: It is difficult for someone who has just taken an oath or affirmed to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution" to then be critical of it. Some have promised to press for amendments, others have taken issue with how the courts have interpreted it, but to my knowledge, none have directly criticized it. Following the Constitution was especially underscored when slavery was still tolerated under it, as presidents like Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan and others reminded abolitionists that the practice was condoned under the nation's highest law. Early presidents would use their inaugural address as an excuse to educate their audience and give a primer of how government works. This is one of the reasons why William Henry Harrison's speech was four or five times as long as most of the others. Mercifully, recent presidents have departed from this practice.
3. Looking at how far the nation has come and how it has survived adversity: Presidents like to inject a note of optimism for the coming days under their watch by reminding their audience that "we've been through tough times before and we always come through." The difference in characterizing whether the nation is in tough times now turns on whether the president is succeeding someone from his own party or from the other team. President Trump's recent address is a good example of describing how bad the mess is that was left by the guy leaving office. This can also be seen in the inaugural addresses delivered by Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama, Grover Cleveland and Jimmy Carter. Conversely, the addresses delivered by George H. W. Bush, James Monroe and Theodore Roosevelt.
4. Promising peace to all nations, as long as they fly right: Every president seems to want to promise that the nation will not interfere with another nation's business, and to contribute world peace. The message seems to be accompanied by the warning that aggression against U.S. interests will not be tolerated. Presidents have generally phrased their commitment to peace in such a way as to assure the public that their sons and daughters will not be used as cannon fodder in intervening in a conflict on the other side of the world, while keeping the door propped open for the possibility that some muscle flexing by the world's strongest military power will be required to put the brakes on some tin pot dictator.
5. Invoking the Almighty: Presidents always ask for God's protection for the nation and many end their address by asking God to bless the nation. Thus far only Barack Obama has acknowledged in his address that agnostics make up a part of the nation. Many remind their audience of the importance of Freedom of Religion. Dwight Eisenhower once repeated the adage that there are no atheists in a foxhole, and perhaps all are acknowledging that the task they are about to embark on is too overwhelming without the aid of a Higher Power. It is reminiscent of the sign that John F. Kennedy kept on his desk: "Oh Lord, your sea is so great and my boat is so small."
Inaugural addresses are often fountains of tremendous eloquence. Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Barack Obama all have left a lasting legacy of presidential eloquence, such that "the better angels of our nature", and "nothing to fear but fear itself" have stood the test of time and remain a part of our political lexicon. They have also been a monument to the wisdom of George Washington, whose precedent setting example continues to guide presidents more than two centuries after his passing.
It will be a subject of debate whether inaugural addresses are mere window dressing for a presidency, or whether they cement the principles that the next administration is expected to follow. If nothing else, they can serve as a yardstick to measure whether or not, in the words of the new president, one is "all talk and no action." No doubt many pundits are already creating their scorecards to measure whether or not President Trump will "meet his every goal."