Every four years, we come together as a nation to watch the president be sworn into office on the steps of the U.S. Capitol building. This ceremony and all of its extravagance celebrates the peaceful transfer of power from one person to another or the reaffirmation of that power for another four years. Without any violence, bullets or bloodshed, the most powerful office in America is transferred to another. That is an incredible moment to behold.
In the history of the United States, less than half of all presidents have been successful in being re-elected to a second term. Out of the 44 men to hold office, only 20 have been re-elected. President Obama was soundly re-elected in November and began a historic second term at noon on Jan. 21.
While the constitution required that the second term began on Jan. 20, precedent had the inauguration ceremony moved to the following day since inaugurations are not typically held on Sundays. Jan. 21 was a special day not just because of the inauguration, but also because it was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day, which celebrates one of America’s greatest civil rights icons as well as the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Capitol dome. For this nation’s first African American president to be publicly sworn in on the holiday celebrating Dr. King’s contributions to this country shows how far we have come as a nation and as a people.
While I was unable to attend the first inauguration, this time I was fortunate enough to attend the second inauguration and witness history in the making.
No amount of words can begin to describe the atmosphere of the Inauguration. There was almost a feeling of magic in the air as a crowd close to a million people packed onto the mall to see America’s first African American president sworn in for a second term.
The crowd that attended was the largest and most diverse group of people I have ever seen assembled in one location. The faces in the crowd were African American, Caucasian, Asian, Hispanic, gay, straight, Republican and Democrat. Those faces resembled the diverse coalition that helped re-elect President Obama. This crowd was the coalition of the future, the coalition that will lead our nation to a brighter future.
For most of the crowd, the only way to see what was going on was to watch the events on the jumbotrons that were placed along the mall. Despite only witnessing the actual events on a screen, nothing could replace the feeling of watching everything unfold with a million fellow Americans.
The moment the president approached the podium to take his oath, the crowd erupted into a cheer so loud his words could not be heard. The swearing in gave way to President Obama’s second inauguration speech, which was historic, not only in its scope but also in the topics he focused on.
For the first time in history, a president used the inaugural address to push for the rights of gay and lesbian Americans. The president spoke these historic words, “America’s journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.”
The president also mentioned climate change as one of the biggest issues of our time. “Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought and more powerful storms. The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition; we must lead it.”
Each of these lines brought louder and louder cheers and applause from the crowd. While this speech may undoubtedly be viewed as boldly progressive, it was, by far, one of his greatest speeches since President Obama took office. It set a roadmap for the country, not just for the next four years, but for generations to come.
The next four years will not be easy and there are sure to be disagreements between the parties as large as ever, but it is imperative to remember what is important; that we are all, as Americans, in this together.
Alex Caraballo can be reached at alex.caraballo@spartans.ut.edu.