My Fellow Americans: Presidents and their Inaugural Addresses

We the People

National Constitution Center

History, News Commentary, News

4.6 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 23 January 2025

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jeffrey Rosen interviews three contributors to the recently published compendium My Fellow Americans: Presidents and Their Inaugural Addresses, Michael Gerhardt, Kate Masur, and Ted Widmer. They reflect on President Trump’s second inaugural speech and discuss inaugural addresses throughout American history. This conversation was originally streamed live as part of the NCC’s America’s Town Hall program series on Jan. 21, 2025. Resources: Yuvraj Singh and Ted Widmer, My Fellow Americans: Presidents and Their Inaugural Addresses (2024) Martin Van Buren, Inaugural Address (March 4, 1837) Donald Trump, Second Inaugural Address (Jan. 20, 2025) Andrew Jackson, First Inaugural Address (March 4, 1829) Andrew Jackson, Second Inaugural Address (March 4, 1833) Grover Cleveland, Second Inaugural Address (March 4, 1893) Abraham Lincoln, First Inaugural Address (March 4, 1861) Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address (March 4, 1865) Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address (March 4, 1933) John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address (Jan. 20, 1961) Joe Biden, Inaugural Address (Jan. 20, 2021) Stay Connected and Learn More Questions or comments about the show? Email us at [email protected] Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr. Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate. Subscribe, rate, and review wherever you listen. Join us for an upcoming live program or watch recordings on YouTube. Support our important work. Donate

Transcript

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0:00.0	This week, President Trump delivered his second inaugural address, and the NCC convened a great group of scholars to put his remarks in historical context.
0:12.0	Hello, friends. I'm Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, and welcome to We the People, a weekly show of constitutional debate.
0:20.7	The National Constitution Center is a nonpartisan nonprofit, chartered by Congress to increase
0:25.4	awareness and understanding of the Constitution among the American people.
0:29.6	In this episode, Michael Gerhard, Kate Mazur, and Ted Widmer, join me to reflect on President
0:35.0	Trump's speech and to discuss inaugural addresses throughout American history.
0:39.9	All three contributed to the recently published book, My Fellow Americans, Presidents, and their inaugural addresses.
0:47.2	Enjoy the conversation.
0:50.7	Welcome, Michael Gerhard, Kate and Ted Widmer.
0:53.6	Let me start by actually asking a... Welcome, Michael Gerhard, Kate Muser, and Ted Widmer.
1:01.9	Let me start by actually asking a broad question about presidential addresses throughout history.
1:13.3	Ted Whitmer, you wrote the really riveting, fluid, and compelling introduction to this new volume of presidential inaugural addresses.
1:20.9	You identify a handful of them as truly great, including Jefferson's first and FDR's first, and Lincoln, of course, and Kennedy.
1:24.4	Share with our listeners and our audience, what broad lessons can we learn from presidential
1:31.6	addresses throughout history.
1:33.8	Well, thank you, Jeff, and thank you for hosting this.
1:36.0	It's really great to be here, and so soon after the inaugural address we heard yesterday.
1:40.9	But as I found studying the topic, and I wrote this in my intro to the book,
1:46.7	it's something of an invented tradition, that the Constitution only gives the words of the oath.
1:52.6	And by the way, it does not say, so help me God, in the Constitution.
1:58.3	Washington, as he did in so many ways, established the practice.
2:03.1	He was inaugurated on April 30th, 1789 in New York,
	...

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