Starting today, Barack Obama pledged after being sworn in as president, “We must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.”
Speaking before a crowd of 2 million, he pledged friendship to the millions more who watched worldwide.
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“And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more,” he said.
Obama’s speech focused on inclusiveness, change and a call to citizenship.
“We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus – and non-believers,” he said. “We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.”
He called for a new era of responsibility, but a return to old values such as “hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism.”
The price of citizenship, he said, is giving one’s all.
“This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed – why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.”
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