From George Washington to Joe Biden, the common message in inaugural addresses
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Wednesday, Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States of America. In his inaugural address, Biden spoke about the "cause of democracy."
"We’ve learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile," he said. "And at this hour, my friend, democracy has prevailed."
President Biden also called for the country to come together. If you read the inaugural addresses of all 46 American presidents, you will find that regardless of the era or their political party, unity was a common theme.
"Unity is something every president wants," KSTP Political Analyst Steven Schier said. "It’s very hard to get and to maintain. But if you have it, you have great authority and great political clout. And what president doesn’t want that."
President Joe Biden speaks during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021.[AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, Pool]
"By looking at the past you learn a lot about the present and how to understand the present," Schier added.
Schier sat down with KSTP’s Kevin Doran and looked at speeches from George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon and Donald Trump. Each president urged Americans at the time to unite, but for different reasons.
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