Shortest Inaugural Address Ever (2 paragraphs))

We've reached the half way point in these devotionals so here's a break. Below you will find the complete text of President Washington’s second inaugural address. It is remarkable not only for its brevity but for its humility and the way it conveys a sense of deep responsibility. May God grant us more such men and women to give leadership in the political arena of our days.

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Monday, March 4, 1793,

in the City of Philadelphia

President Washington’s second oath of office was taken in the Senate Chamber of Congress Hall in Philadelphia on March 4, the date fixed by the Continental Congress for inaugurations. Before an assembly of Congressmen, Cabinet officers, judges of the federal and district courts, foreign officials, and a small gathering of Philadelphians, the President offered the shortest inaugural address ever given. Associate Justice of the Supreme Court William Cushing administered the oath of office.

Fellow Citizens:

I am again called upon by the voice of my country to execute the functions of its Chief Magistrate. When the occasion proper for it shall arrive, I shall endeavor to express the high sense I entertain of this distinguished honor, and of the confidence which has been reposed in me by the people of united America.

Previous to the execution of any official act of the President the Constitution requires an oath of office. This oath I am now about to take, and in your presence: That if it shall be found during my administration of the Government I have in any instance violated willingly or knowingly the injunctions thereof, I may (besides incurring constitutional punishment) be subject to the upbraidings of all who are now witnesses of the present solemn ceremony.^[1]

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^[1] The block quotation and text are taken from Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States: From Washington to Clinton. Oak Harbor WA: Logos Research Systems, 1998.