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DOCUMENT NO.
AND TYPE
SUBJECTHITLE
DATE
RESTRICTION
001. draft
President William J. Clinton Inaugural Address, 4:30 pm draft (2
pages)
1/17/97
P5
002. draft
President William J. Clinton Inaugural Address, 4:30 pm draft (1
page)
1/17/97
P5
003. draft
President William J. Clinton Inaugural Address, 9 am draft (2 pages)
1/17/97
P5
004. draft
President William J. Clinton Inaugural Address, 4:30 pm draft (11
pages)
1/17/97
P5
005. draft
President William J. Clinton Inaugural Address, Midnight draft (8
pages)
1/18/97
P5
006. draft
President William J.Clinton Inaugural Address, 2:30 pm draft (10
pages)
1/18/97
P5
007. draft
President William J. Clinton Inaugural Address, 2:30 pm draft (11
pages)
1/18/97
P5
008. draft
President William J. Clinton Inaugural Address, 2:30 pm draft (4
pages)
1/18/97
P5
009. draft
President William J. Clinton Inaugural Address, 2:30 pm draft (11
pages)
1/18/97
P5
COLLECTION:
Clinton Presidential Records
Speechwriting
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OA/Box Number: 14538
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1997 Inaugural - Drafts [1]
2006-0469-F
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�1/17/97 DRAFTS
I -4
Or
�Draft 1/17/97 9am
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
INAUGURAL ADDRESS
U.S. CAPITOL
January 20, 1997
Fellow citizens:
We gather today at the last American Inauguration of the 20th Century ~ a moment of
consecration and rededication. It is time to recall the greatness of our past, to understand the
progress of our present, to chart the course of our future.
We stand at the end of one century and the dawn of another, and we see, from the height
of this place and this moment, the duty that falls to us now. By the grace of God and the labor of
our people, we enjoy as no generation before us the blessings of peace and prosperity. Yet though
we arefreeof war, depression and unrest, this too is no ordinary time. For we stand at the edge
not only of a new century in a new millennium, but of an Age of Possibility ~ a moment in history
when more people than ever have the chance to make the most of their God -given potential. This
promising future will not simply unfold. We. in this generation, in this time, must have the
courage, the fortitude and the vision to seize this moment of opportunity and make the most of
the century that rises to meet us,
We must be strong, for there is much to dare. The demands of our time are great and
different. But they do not ask too much of us. for we are Americans. Let us meet our challenges
with a happy and grateful heart. For in our hands, together, rests the eternal promise of America.
i
�That promise was bom in the 18th century of the bold conviction that we are all created
equal, endowed by God with inalienable rights of life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness;_spread
across this continent in the 19th century, as we preserved our union and abolished the scourge of
slavery; and then exploded onto the world stage, when we, in turmoil and triumph, made this
century our own.
What a century it has been. We have become the world's mightiest industrial power, won
two world wars against tyranny, waged a long cold war to defeat communism, advanced peace
and prosperity for the world, and time and again, reached out and sacrificed for millions in every
part of the globe who sought the blessings of liberty.
In this century, our people built the great American middle class; lifted the elderly out of
poverty; provided comfort.to QULpoor children; worked to restore and preserve the land, the air,
the water that God gave us; ignited the light of public education for all our children; brought forth
revolutions in science and technology; culture and the arts which brought forth new revolutions of
their own; explored the heavens, began the hard work of building a society that is equal and not
separate for African-Americans and other minorities, and extended right to vote, the chance to
rise and the circle dignity to women.
In America, our future is built on our dreams and labors. On our dreams and labors, we
have made this hundred years the American century. And, now, on our dreams and labors we
must build for the century to come
�Already, we can see the fine lines of the next century — dramatically changing the way we
work, the way we live, the way we relate to one another, [fixes coming] Four years ago, only a
handful of physicists had heard of the World Wide Web. Today, millions of schoolchildren use it
to explore the vast world of knowledge. Scientists are decoding the blueprint of human life.
Cures for our greatest plagues seem within reach. Our children will work in jobs not yet invented,
in enterprises not yet imagined A world no longer divided into two armed camps with the
capacity to destroy each other, now has the chance to lift itself through unprecedented bonds of
Commerce and community.
Yet there is a darker side to this moment. Ancient hatreds take on new and dangerous
dimensions. Science, technology and global openness can be used for evil as well as good — by
rogue states, terrorists, drug traffickers, organized criminals who exploit the progress we cherish.
. Four years ago, we gathered jn hope, but still stood in the shadow of uncertainty.
Together, we vowed to change our course, to force the spring, to renew our nation. [-- secure in
the knowledge that what was wrong with America could be cured by what is right with America.
Good as it is, I would not repeat from first Inaugural.]
Since that day, we have begun together to renew America, [more fixes coming]Where
once the ground seemed to shift beneath our feet, we have found a vital and active center,
dynamic yet rock solid, a center that can hold and propel us forward.
�Once again, America stands strong and at peace, the inspiration to the world in our
common struggle against ancient hatreds and new-found fears.
Once again, America's economy is the strongest on earth, with discipline in our budget
and prosperity for our people.
Once again, family and faith and community are our guideposts, with crime welfare,
r
poverty, inequality among working people, no longer destined to deepen, but finally bending to
Our efforts,
Once again, we are making a genuine American community, founded in mutual respect,
inspiring citizen service, resisting the use of race, religion and politics to sow hatred and threaten
our own union, even as these forces destroy the lives and hopes of millions around the world.
And, my fellow Americans, once again, we have resolved the age old debate of the role of
government in our common endeavors, moving beyond the competing philosophies that
threatened our progress. Today we can declare: Government is not the problem; government js
not the solution. We, the American people, are the solution, [fixes coming]Govemment's role is
no more and no less than to give us the tools to make the most of our own lives.
Lincoln said, as our case is new, we must think anew and act anew. As we turn to face this
new century, let us think anew and act anew for our new times.
�We need a new government for a new century, [fixes coming] Where it can stand up
for the values and interests of ordinary Americans and give them the power to improve their lives,
then our government should do more, not less. From the safety of our streets, to the values of
our families; from the standards of our schools to the opportunity of our colleges; from the
benefits of our research and technology to the potential of our economy ~ Americans should not
face our common challenges alone.
Beyond that, my fellow citizens, the future is up to you -- in your homes, in your houses
of worship, in your businesses, in your lives. From all of you we need a new responsibility for
a new century. Each and every one of us — business leaders, educators, parents, family,friends- must recognize our responsibility ~ for ourselves and for all those around us. To our young
people, I say : 70,000 (ck) of you have heeded our call to a season of service in the last four years.
Now, we must prolong that season so that its light shines far beyond this moment. Our challenges
are not the challenges of one family, one neighborhood, one community, one city - they are
challenges for each of us in our own lives, and they are the challenges of one nation -- we must
meet them as one America. For us, the challenges of one are the challenges of all.
Above all, we need a new community for a new century. Let us see the richness of our
racial and ethnic backgrounds, our deeply held religious convictions, and our competing political
philosophies as Godsends for the 21 st Century. We know of the dark impulses that lurk
everywhere in the regions of the soul. They are destroying too many people around the world.
They have touched us and nearly destroyed us in our own past. They will tempt us again in our
�future. We here must find in ourselves the generosity of spirit that would repress those dark
impulses.
Thirty-four years ago, the towering spirit whose life we celebrate today spoke to us on
this very mall in words that moved the conscience of the nation, calling us to never forget that our
destinies and our freedom are "inextricably bound." that "we cannot walk alone." He taught us
then, and throughout his all too short life, that our nation imposes no test of creed or religion or
race. We say: if you believe in the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of
Rights, you are an American. In the spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr., let us always
remember: Our differences do not diminish us; they are the mighty force that strengthens
our hands for the work ahead.
With a new government, a new responsibility, a new community, we will connect our
oldest values to our newest challenges. We wi'l build a bridge to the world we seek and the
America we desire.
— An America as the world's indispensable nation - promoting peace, fostering freedojn,
fighting the forces of destruction, expanding open, fair commerce. This is more than a
responsibility; it is a priceless opportunity Bnt if we want the benefits of leadership, we must
shoulder the burdens, and pay our way.
- An America where opportunity for all is made real in the world's best schools, where
�we balance our budget and invest in our people.
— An America where our freedom is not mocked by the fear of crime or the degradation
of our environment, where our families and children can walk our streets and use our air and
water in safety.
— An America where life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are made full by the miracles
of science, medicine and technology.
~ An America where all are created equal, and all share equally in the opportunity and the
responsibility to work -- where we finish the unfinished business of the 20th century and[fixes
coming] solve the problems of the underclass.
— An America where we uphold the duty we owe to one another, [fixes coming]to our
parents by helping them live well and with security into the fullness of their lives, and to our
children by raising them secure, loved and whole.
[could do Franklin here][fixes coming]Today, I pledge to you to use every ounce of my
strength and every power of my office to b H us together and to prepare our nation for the
m
century ahead. Like you, I cannot do this P'OPC. I ask the Members of Congress, on this platform
beside me, to join in that pledge. The American people, with eyes wide open, returned to office a
President of one party and a Congress of another. Surely, they did not do this to advance the
�politics of petty bickering and personal destmction they plainly deplore. Now, they have asked us
to honestly debate our differences, then work together in a spirit of mutual respect. America
demands and deserves big things from us. Nothing big ever came from being small. Let us
remember the wisdom of Cardinal Bernadin, just weeks before the end of his life: "It is wrong to
waste the precious gift of time given to us on acrimony and division." We must not waste the
precious gift of this time.' •
All of us are on that same journey oriife, which must surely come to an end. But the
journey of America must go on. And it will - if we do our duty. It is our time to build.
My fellow Americans, let us mn the rnce ahead with patience and determination: let us
never rest: let us forge our own future into hard steel - and from that steel, let us build our bridge
to the century ahead -- a bridge wide enough and strong enough to carry all Americans across, a
bridge long enough and straight enough to cq'-rv our oldest values to our newest greatness in the
time of the Americans whose faces we will never see.
So that. Qn another brilliant day, t W may sav of us here that we led our beloved land ipto
a new century with the American Dream a'ive for all our children ~ with the American community
strong for all our people -- with America's
flame of freedom spreading throughout the
world.
We ask God to bless all those who "'^<.M build -- to "strengthen our hands for the good
work ahead" — and, always, always bless c r America.
�DRAFT 1/17/97 4:30p.in.
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
INAUGURAL ADDRESS
U.S. CAPITOL
January 20, 1997
We gather at the last presidential inauguration of the 20th century, exactly 200 years after
George Washington said farewell to this oflice and his fellow citizens, having launched the Great
Experiment that has brought us to this time and place.
We gather at this moment of consecration and rededication to recall the greatness of our
past, understand the progress of our present and chart our course for the future.
America was bom in the 18th century out of the bold conviction that all of us are created
equal, endowed by God with inalienable rights: Life; liberty; the pursuit of happiness ~ and that
those rights could be more fully realized only byfreepeople working together to form a more
perfect union.
In the 19th century, our nation spread across the continent, preserved the union and
abolished the scourge of slavery. Then, it exploded onto the world stage, when, in turmoil and
triumph, we made this the American century.
What a century it has been. America became the world's mightiest industrial power; won
�two world wars against tyranny and a long cold war against communism; advanced peace and
prosperity throughout the world, and time and again, reached out a helping hand to millions
across the globe who also longed for the blessings of liberty.
At home, our people built the great American middle class; lifted the elderly out of
poverty; provided health care and nutrition to poor children; began to restore and preserve our
environment; dramatically improved public health; provided public education to all our children
and built the world's greatest system of universities; brought breathtaking advances in science,
technology and the arts, explored the heavens; abolished legal barriers for African-Americans and
other minorities, and extended the circle of citizenship, opportunity and dignity to women.
Thirty-four years ago, the towering spirit whose life we celebrate today spoke to us on
this very mall in words that moved the conscience of the nation. He told us of his dream — deeply
rooted in the American Dream — "that one day this nation willriseup and live out the true
meaning of its creed: we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
Too soon thereafter, Martin Luther King, Jr., gave his life so that his fellow Americans
might live his dream.
His story is the story of America, of the constant dream-driven striving to live out our true
creed. Our future has ever been built on such dreams and labors. Dreams and labors made this
hundred years the American Century, and it is out of dreams and labors that we will build our new
�Age of Possibility in the 21st Century.
Already, we can see thefinelines of that new century ~ in the new ways we work and live
and relate to one another. Four years ago, the World Wide Web was the mystical province of
physicists; today it is a commonplace encyclopedia for millions of schoolchildren. Scientists are
decoding the blueprint of human life. Cures for our greatest maladies seem close at hand. Already,
work has shifted from farm, to factories, to computers; tomorrow, our children will work in jobs
that have not been invented, in enterprises not yet imagined.
The world is no longer divided into two armed camps with the capacity to destroy each
other. For the first time in history, more people are living under democracy than dictatorship.
Growing connections of commerce and culture give us a chance to lift the fortunes and spirits of
people everywhere.
P t f c t t L
C'fiV6u*'6&
*
eA,
Just four years ago, our march to this new future seemed less certain than today. Then, we
vowed to change our course, to force the spring, to renew our nation ~ secure in the knowledge
that what was wrong with America could be cured by what is right with America.
Since that day, by the stands we have taken, the battles we have waged, the achievements
we have made, the renewal of America has begun.
Once again, America stands strong as the world's indispensable nation^he nuclear threat
�- hachfipn ruMupwi! GomrndFce^unong nations has-been expanded to^^cordJevels. Andfromthe
snows of Bosnia, to the sands of the Middle East, to the cobblestone streets of Belfast, to the
shores of Haiti, those who love peace andfreedomlook to America for inspiration and support.
Once again, America's economy is the strongest on earth, with new jobs for our people,
discipline in our budget and investment in our future.
Once again, we have put family and faith and community at the center of our concems.
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-are r«eeiving-support-nrtheir * "rtc-*i^ r^t-at ho™ "d at work and in raising—
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tdreft-ifl-a-eufttue loo uflen al-o<M9-with4heii values.{bur most urgent social problems — crime,
poverty, welfare, inequality among working people — all are bending to our efforts.
Once again, we are moving forward toward a genuine America community, founded in
mutual respect, exalting citizen service, standing against the use of race, religion and politics to
sow hatred and threaten our union, even as these very forces destroy the lives and hopes of
millions around the world.
have resolved for our time the age old debate of the role of
government in our common endeavoifi^rtiovmg-beyon^the competing philosophies that
threatened our progress/Today^ejan declare: Government is not the problem. Government is
not the solution. We, the American people, are the solution. We have instituted government of the
people, by the people and for the people, as one means by which, together, we can meet the
�challenges of each new age.
( // ^ < / - + - .
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—Though jyve. enjoy peace and.prosperity,. though we are free of war. and social unrest, this,
poo, is no ordinary time. [Lincoln taught us,-when our ease is new^-we-must thkik-anew and act
Tanew.J
We need a new government for a new century. A government that is smaller and does
more with less. Not a^gyf m^^n^^^^^eneugh'to try to solve our problems for us, but-a-—
•government strong enough to give us the tools to ifmlfp thir mrst nf nnr "wn 1ivF!?rfe£.to solve our
problems for ourselves] . WhSfe it can stand up for our values and interests in the world, or where^
^-^t-cairstand up for the values and interests of (udiflaiyAmericans at home, ^""Qti
pnw
pr
to make a^^aWiffeience in lll6u- everyday lives, then our government should do more, not less.
Beyond that chance, my fellow citizens, the future is up to you. From all of you, we need a
new responsibility for a new century After our Constitution wasfinished,Benjamin Franklin was
asked what had "been created. He replied: "A republic, if you can keep it."
For more than 200 years, Americans have kept our republic, meeting every challenge, by
moving toward a more perfect union. Our troubles have come only when we denied our
shortcomings or rested on our laurels: I am determined that we will not rest.
Business and community leaders must provide jobs for those on welfare. Parents and
if
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�teachers must demand the toughest standards for our schools. Young people must study hard,
stay out of trouble and leam the joy of serving others. Families, neighbors, communities, must
band together to help parents bring values, discipline and hope to our children.
Each and every one of us, in our own way, must assume responsibility — not just for
ourselves and our families, but for our neighbors and our nation.
/
Above all,)we need a new sense _o^community for a new century. We must affirm: That
ours are not the challenges of one person, one family, neighborhood, one city, one state — ours
are the challenges of an entire nation, and we must meet them as one America [FSFhere, the
challenges of one are the challenges of aU.]^dwemi3st-affirm that ovcry Amrrirnn tins a rolgjo
-playrand no American should be denied the-ehance to jf)lay it to the hUT"
^^VeTnusHmdefstandTha^ur rich ^tuTru^racial and ethnic diversity, deepwheldj
religious convictions and widely different political philosophies are Godsends for the 21st Century
world. Great rewards will come to those who can live together, leam together, work together. We
^Jj}^
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'
cannot give in to the dark impulses that lurk in the far regions of the soul everywhere. They have
y. engulfed the lives of millions around the world. They have nearly destroyed us in the past. They-
^
have^sed-theiriieads-again4n-4he-presentJhey will-tempHis'agahrinthe futrn'o. We must
ru&*l> f>J To
summon tl^generositv of spirilfanHlstrength of character to repress them.
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The(^vads_Qfj3^ynas been our constant curse. Hatred, doaked in the pretense of
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�[religious or political] conviction^is-nu betiefc We must impose no false tests of citizenship. We
must affirm the surpassing strength in our diversity . It will make us richer ~ and richer in spirit if
we simply say to one another: If you believe in the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence
and the Bill of Rights, you are an American. [Our differences do not diminish us( Theytnnsrbe
the mighty force that strengthens us for the work ahead.]
With a new government, a new responsibility, a new community, we can [form a more
perfect union] and build a bridge to the world we seek and the America we desire.
An America that remains the world's indispensable nation ~ a decisive.power in
promoting peace, iQstering democracy, bringing the world together through fair and open
commerce/heading the effort to ^imiirtfethe^hreafca£l^^
weapons,
reaping the benefits of leadership because we are wilhng to shoulder the burdens and pay our way.
. ^
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An America that prePareMier^hildr^^^^eW skills they will need in the next century
'jvitjl world-class public schools, the highest standards and the doors of college open to all.
An America that puts the knowledge and power of the Information Agairti^fie reach not
just of the few but of every school, every home and every child.
y
An America that keeps our economy the strongest in the world, yet jealously guards(it^A^-~
air, water and land.
�y
An America that protects our children,and gives parents the time they need to be good
parents.
An America that nMirtakp the best health care system in the world, using the wonders of
Ir.. -...^
seience-to-fittdxnrerfbntyptegttes^
An America that meets its obligations to our elderly by providing them with secure
retirement and health care and making the changes necessary to preserve those benefits for
generations who follow.
An America where our political system is fair and open, responding to the national
interest, not narrow interests, earning the participation and trust of all her citizens.
An America where every person will be judged on only one basis: on his or her merits.
An America that restores balance to its budget, but never loses the balance of its values.
Today I pledge all my strength and every power of my office for the work ahead. Like
you, I cannot do this alone. I ask the members of Congress H rc on this platform to joit^in that
of
pledge. The American people, with eyes wide open, returned to office a President of one party
and a Congress of another. Surely they did not do this to advance the politics of petty bickering
and personal destruction they plainly deplore. No, they have asked us to debate our differences
�honestly, then to work together in a spirit of accorc^
America demands and deserves big thingsfromus. Nothing big ever camefrombeing
small. Let us remember the timeless wisdom of Cardinal Bemadin, just weeks before the end of
his life: "It is wrong to waste the precious gift of time given to us on acrimony and division." We
must not waste the precious gift of this time.
All of us are on that same journey of life, and our journey, too, will surely come to an end.
v^o
But the journey of America must go on. It surely will -j- if ^ve do our duty. L
U U I LUIlV t U
And so, my fellow Americans, let us run with patience and a grateful and understanding
heartjthe race that is before u^Vith our dreams and labor, let us build our bridge to a new
century ~ wide enough and strong enough to carry all Americans across to the Age of Possibility
in a m r perfect union.
oe
Let those generations whose faces we will never see say of us here that we led our*
6c
beloved land into a new centur>|with the AmericanDrean^alive for aUhCTcMdren^Vith the
/
American promise of full citizenship a reality for all of h^r people. With America's bright flame of
freedom spreading throughout the world.
At the end of one ?!qgBg5m Century and the dawn of a new one, may God "strengthen our
�hands for the good work ahead" ~ and always, always bless our America.
/
f
[Alt. Ending: And so, my fellow Americans, let us run with patiencp^md a grateful and
understanding-heart the race that is before us. With our dpstims and labors, let us build our bridge
to the century ahead — abridge wide enough and^tfong enough to carry all Americans across, a
bridge long enough and straight enough^rfeich the time of the Americans whose faces we will
never see. Let us build in one great American century, so that they may thrive in another.
Then, on another brimant day, they may say of us : We le^qur beloved land forward with
the American Dream aliye for all our children ~ with the American cothmunity strong for all our
people — with America's brightflameoffreedomspreading throughout the world.
Now, lej us go forward, certain in the knowledge that God will bless all those who would
build -- will "strengthen our hands for the good work ahead" - and will always, always bless our
America. ]
10
�DRAFT 1/17/97 4:30p.m.
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
INAUGURAL ADDRESS
U.S. CAPITOL
January 20,1997
We gather at the last presidential inauguration of the 20th century, exactly 200 years after
George Washington said farewell to this office and his fellow citizens, having launched the Great
Experiment that has brought us to this time and place.
We gather at this moment of consecration and rededication to recall the greatness of our
past, understand the progress of our present and chart our course for the future.
America was bom in the 18th century out of the bold conviction that all of us are created
equal, endowed by God with inalienable rights: Life; liberty; the pursuit of happiness ~ and that
those rights could be more fully realized only by free people working together to form a more
perfect union.
In the 19th century, our nation spread across the continent, preserved the union and
abolished the scourge of slavery. Then, it exploded onto the world stage, when, in turmoil and
triumph, we made this the American century.
What a century it has been. America became the world's mightiest industrial power; won
two world wars against tyranny and a long cold war against communism; advanced peace and
prosperity throughout the world, and time and again, reached out a helping hand to millions
across the globe who also longed for the blessings of liberty.
At home, our people built the great American middle class; lifted the elderly out of
poverty; provided health care and nutrition to poor children; began to restore and preserve our
environment; dramatically improved public health; provided public education to all our children
and built the world's greatest system of universities; brought breathtaking advances in science,
technology and the arts, explored the heavens; abolished legal barriers for African-Americans
and other minorities, and extended the circle of citizenship, opportunity and dignity to women.
Thirty-four years ago, the towering spirit whose life we celebrate today spoke to us on
this very mall in words that moved the conscience of the nation. He told us of his dream ~ deeply
rooted in the American Dream ~ "that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true
meaning of its creed: we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
Too soon thereafter, Martin Luther King, Jr., gave his life so that his fellow Americans
�might live his dream.
His story is the story of America, of the constant dream-driven striving to live out our true
creed. Our future has ever been built on such dreams and labors. Dreams and labors made this
hundred years the American Century, and it is out of dreams and labors that we will build our
new Age of Possibility in the 21st Century.
Already, we can see the fine lines of that new century — in the new ways we work and
live
and relate to one another. Four years ago, the World Wide Web was the mystical province of
physicists; today it is a commonplace encyclopedia for millions of schoolchildren. Scientists are
decoding the blueprint of human life. Cures for our greatest maladies seem close at hand.
Already, work has shifted from farm, to factories, to computers; tomorrow, our children will
work in jobs that have not been invented, in enterprises not yet imagined.
The world is no longer divided into two armed camps with the capacity to destroy each
other. For the first time in history, more people are living under democracy than dictatorship.
Growing connections of commerce and culture give us a chance to lift the fortunes and spirits of
people everywhere.
Just four years ago, our march to this new future seemed less certain than today. Then, we
vowed to change our course, to force the spring, to renew our nation ~ secure in the knowledge
that what was wrong with America could be cured by what is right with America.
Since that day, by the stands we have taken, the battles we have waged, the achievements
we have made, the renewal of America has begun.
Once again, America stands strong as the world's indispensable nation. The nuclear threat
has been reduced. Commerce among nations has been expanded to record levels. And from the
snows of Bosnia, to the sands of the Middle East, to the cobblestone streets of Belfast, to the
shores of Haiti, those who love peace and freedom look to America for inspiration and support.
Once again, America's economy is the strongest on earth, with new jobs for our people,
discipline in our budget and investment in our future.
Once again, we have put family and faith and community at the center of our concems.
Families are receiving support in their efforts to succeed at home and at work, and in raising
children in a culture too often at odds with their values. Our most urgent social problems crime, poverty, welfare, inequality among working people - all are bending to our efforts.
Once again, we are moving forward toward a genuine America community, founded in
mutual respect, exalting citizen service, standing against the use of race, religion and politics to
sow hatred and threaten our union, even as these very forces destroy the lives and hopes of
�millions around the world.
And once again, we have resolved for our time the age old debate of the role of
government in our common endeavors, moving beyond the competing philosophies that
threatened our progress. Today we can declare: Government is not the problem. Government is
not the solution. We, the American people, are the solution. We have instituted government of
the people, by the people and for the people, as one means by which, together, we can meet the
challenges of each new age.
Though we enjoy peace and prosperity, though we are free of war and social unrest, this,
too, is no ordinary time. [Lincoln taught us, when our case is new, we must think anew and act
anew.]
We need a new government for a new century. A government that is smaller and does
more with less. Not a government arrogant enough to try to solve our problems for us, but a
government strong enough to give us the tools to make the most of our own lives [or to solve our
problems for ourselves]. Where it can stand up for our values and interests in the world, or where
it can stand up for the values and interests of ordinary Americans at home, giving them the power
to make a real difference in their everyday lives, then our government should do more, not less.
Beyond that chance, my fellow citizens, the future is up to you. From all of you, we need
a new responsibility for a new century. After our Constitution was finished, Benjamin Franklin
was asked what had been created. He replied: "A republic, if you can keep it."
For more than 200 years, Americans have kept our republic, meeting every challenge, by
moving toward a more perfect union. Our troubles have come only when we denied our
shortcomings or rested on our laurels. I am determined that we will not rest.
Business and community leaders must provide jobs for those on welfare. Parents and
teachers must demand the toughest standards for our schools. Young people must study hard,
stay out of trouble and leam the joy of serving others. Families, neighbors, communities, must
band together to help parents bring values, discipline and hope to our children.
Each and every one of us, in our own way, must assume responsibility - not just for
ourselves and our families, but for our neighbors and our nation.
Above all, we need a new sense of community for a new century. We must affirm: That
ours are not the challenges of one person, one family, neighborhood, one city, one state — ours
are the challenges of an entire nation, and we must meet them as one America. [For here, the
challenges of one are the challenges of all.] And we must affirm that every American has a role
to play, and no American should be denied the chance to play it to the hilt.
We must understand that our rich texture of racial and ethnic diversity, deeply held
�religious convictions and widely different political philosophies are Godsends for the 21st
Century world. Great rewards will come to those who can live together, leam together, work
together. We cannot give in to the dark impulses that lurk in the far regions of the soul
everywhere. They have engulfed the lives of millions around the world. They have nearly
destroyed us in the past. They have raised their heads again in the present. They will tempt us
again in the future. We must summon the generosity of spirit and strength of character to repress
them.
The divide of race has been our constant curse. Hatred, cloaked in the pretense of
[religious or political] conviction, is no better. We must impose no false tests of citizenship. We
must affirm the surpassing strength in our diversity . It will make us richer -- and richer in spirit
if we simply say to one another: If you believe in the Constitution, the Declaration of
Independence and the Bill of Rights, you are an American. [Our differences do not diminish us.
They must be the mighty force that strengthens us for the work ahead.]
With a new government, a new responsibility, a new community, we can [form a more
perfect union] and build a bridge to the world we seek and the America we desire.
An America that remains the world's indispensable nation — a decisive power in
promoting peace, fostering democracy, bringing the world together through fair and open
commerce, leading the effort to eliminate the threat of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons,
reaping the benefits of leadership because we are willing to shoulder the burdens and pay our
way.
An America that prepares her children with new skills they will need in the next century
with world-class public schools, the highest standards and the doors of college open to all.
An America that puts the knowledge and power of the Information Age into the reach not
just of the few but of every school, every home and every child.
An America that keeps our economy the strongest in the world, yet jealously guards its
air, water and land.
An America that protects our children, and gives parents the time they need to be good
parents.
An America that maintains the best health care system in the world, using the wonders of
science to find cures for its plagues and making sure no child is ever left without medical care.
An America that meets its obligations to our elderly by providing them with secure
retirement and health care and making the changes necessary to preserve those benefits for
generations who follow.
�An America where our political system is fair and open, responding to the national
interest, not narrow interests, earning the participation and trust of all her citizens.
An America where every person will be judged on only one basis: on his or her merits.
An America that restores balance to its budget, but never loses the balance of its values.
Today I pledge all my strength and every power of my office for the work ahead. Like
you, I cannot do this alone. I ask the members of Congress here on this platform to join in that
pledge. The American people, with eyes wide open, returned to office a President of one party
and a Congress of another. Surely they did not do this to advance the politics of petty bickering
and personal destruction they plainly deplore. No, they have asked us to debate our differences
honestly, then to work together in a spirit of accord d.
America demands and deserves big things from us. Nothing big ever came from being
small. Let us remember the timeless wisdom of Cardinal Bemadin, just weeks before the end of
his life: "It is wrong to waste the precious gift of time given to us on acrimony and division." We
must not waste the precious gift of this time.
All of us are on that same journey of life, and our journey, too, will surely come to an
end. But the journey of America must go on. It surely will ~ if we do our duty. [It is our time to
build.]
And so, my fellow Americans,-let us run with patience and a grateful and understanding
heart the race that is before us. With our dreams and labor, let us build our bridge to a new
century ~ wide enough and strong enough to carry all Americans across to the Age of Possibility
in a more perfect union.
Let those generations whose faces we will never see say of us here that we led our
beloved land into a new century with the American Dream alive for all her children. With the
American promise of full citizenship a reality for all of her people. With America's bright flame
of freedom spreading throughout the world.
At the end of one American Century and the dawn of a new one, may God "strengthen
our hands for the good work ahead" — and always, always bless our America.
[Alt. Ending: And so, my fellow Americans, let us run with patience and a grateful and
understanding heart the race that is before us. With our dreams and labors, let us build our bridge
to the century ahead - a bridge wide enough and strong enough to carry all Americans across, a
bridge long enough and straight enough to reach the time of the Americans whose faces we will
never see. Let us build in one great American century, so that they may thrive in another.
�Then, on another brilliant day. they may say of us: We led our beloved land forward with
the American Dream alive for all our children — with the American community strong for all our
people -- with America's bright flame of freedom spreading throughout the world.
Now, let us go forward, certain in the knowledge that God will bless all those who would
build - will "strengthen our hands for the good work ahead" - and will always, always bless our
America. ]
�Draft 1/17/97 9am
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
INAUGURAL ADDRESS
U.S. CAPITOL
January 20, 1997
Fellow citizens:
We gather today at the last American Inauguration of the 20th Century » a moment o
consecration and rededication. It is time to recall the greatness of our past, to understand the
progrcfla-of our present, to chart the course of our future.
We stand at the end of one century and the dawn of another, and we see, from the height
of this place and this moment, the duty that falls to us now. By the grace of God and the labor of
our people, we enjoy as no generation before us the blessings of peace and prosperity. Yet though
we are free of war, depression and unrest, this too is no ordinary time. For we stand at the edge
not only of a new century in a new millennium, but of an Age of Possibility ~ a moment in histo
when more people than ever have the chance to make the most of their-God -giveft-prttential
promising future will not simply unfold. We in this generation, in this time, must have the
r
courage, theforfiTPdeand the vision to seize this moment of opportunity and make the most of
the centurv that rises to meet us.
We must be strong, for there is much to dare. The demands of our time are great and
different. But thev do not ask too much of us. for we are Americans. Let us meet our challenges
with a happy and grateful heart. For in our hands, together, rests the eternal promise of America.
i
�That promise was born in the 18th century of the bold conviction that we are all created
equal, endowed by God with inalienable rights of life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness,^pread
across this continent in the 19th century, as we preserved our union and abolished the scourge of
if
slavery: and thett^exploded onto the world stage, when we, in turmoil and triumph, made this
century our own.
What a century it has been. We have become the world's mightiest industrial power, won
two world wars against tyranny, waged a long cold war to defeat communism, advanced peace
and prosperity for the world, and time and again, reached out and sacrificed for millions in every
part of the globe who sought the blessings of liberty.
In this century, our people built the great American middle class; lifted the elderly out of
poverty; provided comfort.to fiimpoor children; worked to restore and preserve the land, the air.
the water that God gave us; ignited the light of public education for all our children; brought forth
revolutions in science and technology: culture and thg arts[v4weh-i3T9ffghrfoitK^
Ihetf-ewn: explored the heavens; began the hard work of building a society that is equal and not
separate for African-Americans and other minorities, and extended right IU WteffiheThancerio*-*
Sind t l r "T,pffifrf™;ty to women.
In America, our future is built^M^ur dreams and labors. On our dreams and labors, we
have made this hundred years the American century. And, now, on our dreams and labors we
must build for the century to come
r
r
/
�Already, we can see the fine lines of the next century — dramatically changing the way we
work, the way we live, the way we relate to one another, [fixes coming] Four years ago, only a
handful of physicists had heard of the World Wide Web. Today,|miTIionTOf TSChuulcliildi ein»se4F"-^
tagajJjag3*ie"va3H^rld-ofl^
are decoding the blueprint of human life.
Cures for our greatest plagues seem within reach. Our children will work in jobs not yet invented,
in enterprises not yet imagined. A world no longer divided into two armed camps with the
capacity to destroy each other, now has the chance to lift itself through unprecedent bonds of
commerce and community.
Yet there is a darker side to this moment. Ancient hatreds take on new and dangerous
dimensions. Science, technology and global openness can be used for evil as well as good ~ by
rogue states, terrorists, drug traffickers, organized criminals who exploit the progress we cherish.
. Four years ago, we gatheredjn hope, but still stood in the shadow of uncertainty.
Together, we vowed to change our course, to force the spring, to renew our nation. [-- secure in /
the knowledge that what was wrong with America could be cured by what is right with America.
Good as it is, I would not repeat from first Inaugural.]
Since that day, we have begun together to renew America, [morefixescoming]Where
once the ground seemed to shift beneath our feet, we have found a vital and active center,
dynamic yet rock solid^a center that can hold and propel us forward.
f« /
�Once again, America stands strong and at peace, the inspiration to the world in our
common struggle against angiem hatreds and new-found fears.
Once again, America's economy is the strongest on earth, with discipline in our budget
and prosperity for our people.
Once again, family and faith and community are our guideposts, with crime, welfare,
poverty, inequality among working people, no longe jdestinecfio deepen, but finally bending to
A
our efforts,
Once again, we are malting a genuine American community, founded in mutual respect,
inspiring citizen service, resisting the use of race, religion and politics to sow hatred and threaten
our own union, even as these forces destroy the lives and hopes of millions around the world.
fat OWtftvO'
And, my fellow Americans, once again, we have resolved the age old debate of the role of
A
government in our common endeavors, moving beyond the competing philosophies that
1
ll&catot&lour progress. Today we can declare: Government is not the problem; government is
not the solution. We, the American people, are the solution, [fixes coming]Government's role is /
no more and no less than to give us the tools to make the most of our own lives.
Lincoln said, as our case is new, we must think anew and act anew. As we turn to face this
new century, let us think anew and act anew for our new times.
^p
O
�We need a new government for a new century, [fixes coming] Where it can stand up
for the values and interests of ordinary Americans and give them the power to improve their lives,
then our government should do more, not less. From the safety of our streets, to the values of
our families; from the standards of our schools to the opportunity of our colleges; from the
benefits of our research and technology to the potential of our economy ~ Americans should not
face our common challenges alone.
Beyond that, my fellow citizens, the future is up to you ~ in your homes, in your houses
of worship, in your businesses, in your lives. From all of you we need a new responsibility for
a new century. Each and every one of us ~ business leaders, educators, parents, family,friends- must recognize our responsibility ~ for ourselves and for all those around us. To our young
people, I say: 70,000 (ck) of you have heeded our call to a season of service in the last four years.
1\
Now, we must prolong that season so that its light shines far beyond this moment. Our challenges
are not the challenges of one family, one neighborhood, one community, one city ~ they are
challenges for each of us in our own lives, and they are the challenges of one nation ~ we must
meet them as one America. For us, the challenges of one are the challenges of all.
Above all, we need a new community for a new century. Let us see the richness of our
racial and ethnic backgrounds, our deeply held religious convictions, and our competing political
philosophies as Godsends for the 21st Century. We know of the dark impulses that lurk
everywhere in the regions of the soul. They are destroying too many people around the world.
They have touched us and nearly destroyed us in our own past. They will tempt us again in our
�future. We here must find in ourselves the generosity of spirit that would repress those dark
impulses,
Thirty-four years ago, the towering spirit whose life we celebrate today spoke to us on
this very mall in words that moved the conscience of the nation, calling us to never forget that our
destinies and ourfreedomare "inextricably bound." that "we cannot walk alone " He taught us
then, and throughout his all too short life, that our nation imposes no test of creed or religion or
race. We say: if you believe in the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of
Rights, you are an American. In the spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr., let us always
remember: Our differences do not diminish us; they are the mighty force that strengthens
our hands for the work ahead.
With a new government, a new responsibility, a new community, we will connect our
oldest values to our newest challenges. We will build a bridge to the world we seek and the
America we desire.
~ An America as the world's indispensable nation ~ promoting peace, fostering freedom,
fighting the forces of destruction, expanding open, fair commerce. This is more than a
responsibility; it is a priceless opportunity. But if we want the benefits of leadership, we must
shoulder the burdens, and pay our way.
— An America where opportunity for all is made real in the world's best schools, where
�we balance our budget and invest in our people.
~ An America where our freedom is not mocked by the fear of crime or the degradation
of our environment, where our families and children can walk our streets and use our air s"*^
safety.
— An America where life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are made full by the miracles
of science, medicine and technology.
-- An America where all are created equal, and all share equally in the opportunity and the
responsibility to work ~ where we finish the unfinished business of the 20th century and[fixes
coming] solve the problems of the underclass.
~ An America where we uphold the duty we owe to one another, [fixes coming]to our
parents by helping them live well and with security into the fullness of their lives, and to our
children by raising them secure, loved a i w ^ f e ^ J ^ ^ ^ ? \» ^ ^ \
— tZst^ Awic^
nUte^fajL^gps
*vevx bA^Jbi
/^llaUAJXCJ
[could do Franklin here] [fixes coming]Today, I pledge to you to use every ounce of my
strength and every power of my office to bind us together and to prepare our nation for the
r-*
fohJL
a f u J ca^do
fin'r
lnd~ M
f a ^ f i f t * /feg^Zfe, .
century ahead. 1 Like you, I cannot oo this alone. I ask the Members of Congress, on this platform
beside me, to join in that pledge. The American peopleywith eyes wide open./retumed to office a
President of one party and a Congress of another. Surely, they did not do this to advance the
'fajt.
�politics of petty bickering and personal destruction they plainly deplore. Now, they have asked us
to honestly debate our differences, then work together in a spirit of mutual respect. America
demands and deserves big things from us. Nothing big ever came from being small. Let us
remember the wisdom of Cardinal Bemadin, just weeks before the end of his life: "It is wrong to
waste the precious gift of time given to us on acrimony and division." We must not waste the
precious gift of this time.
All of us are on that same journey of life, which must surely come to an end. But the
journey of America must go on. And it will « if we do our duty. For it is our time to build.
So, my fellow Americans, let us run the race ahead with patience and determination; let us
never rest: let us forge our own future into hard steel - and from that steel, let us build our bridge
to the century ahead -- a bridge wide enough and strong enough to carry all Americans across, a
bridge long enough and straight enough to carry our oldest values to our newest greatness in the
time of the Americans whose faces we will never see.
So that, on another brilliant dav. thev mav sav of us here that we led our beloved land into
a new century with the American Dream alive for all our children ~ with the American community
strong for all our people — with America's bright flame offreedomspreading throughout the
world.
May God bless all those who would build ~ and "strengthen our hands for the good work
ahead" ~ and, always, always bless our America.
jfos, CUM QJTU / u
Z-
�^
^
CAJ(2 ^v^r
^
^
^
(ft
^
^
�Draft 1/17/97 9am
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J . CLINTON
INAUGURAL ADDRESS
U.S. CAPITOL
January 20, 1997
Fellow citizens:
We gather today at the last American Inauguration of the 20th Century ~ a moment of
consecration and rededication. It is time to recall the greatness of our past, to undorotand thosecret
fa* »u~~S>i,
„
progress, of our present, to chart the course of our future.
r
We stand at the end of one century and the dawn of another, and we see, from the height
of this place and this moment, the duty that falls to us now. By the grace of God and the labor of
our people, we enjoy as no generation before us the blessings of peace and prosperity. Yet though
we are free of war, depression and unrest, this^oo^no ordinary time. For we stand at the edge
not only of a new century in a new millennium, but of an Age of Possibility — a moment in history
when more people than ever have the chance to make the most of their God -given potential.
The promise of this future will not simply unfold. It can be lost - if we falter in our duty.
Bv the stands we take, the battles we wage, the choices we make. we in this generation, in this
r
time must decide to seize this moment of opportunity and make the most of the centurv that rises
r
tQ meet US,
We must be strong, for there is much to dare. The demands of our time are great and
different. But thev do not ask too much of us. for we are Americans. Let us meet our challenges
with a happy and grateful heart. For in our hands, together, rests the eternal promise of America.
We know that our progress is not inevitable. But neither has it been throughout our past.
Now, as then, afreepeople must choose. In the 18th century, we chose the bold conviction that
ujlll dutuU
L.
t
�we are all created equal, endowed by God with inalienable rights of life, liberty, the pursuit of
happiness; jfcs^pread across this continent in the 19th century, as we preserved our union and
abolished the scourge of slavery. Aad-4hea."we exploded onto the world stage, when we, in
turmoil and triumph, made this century our own.
What a century it has been. We have become the world's mightiest industrial power, won
two world wars against tyranny, waged a long cold war to defeat communism, advanced peace
and prosperity for the world, and time and again, reached out and sacrificed for millions in every
part of the globe who sought the blessings of liberty.
In this century, our people built the great American middle class; lifted the elderly out of
poverty; provided comfort.tofliiLpoorchildren; worked to restore and preserve the land, the air,
the water that God gave us; ignited the light of public education for all our children; brought forth
roa*^
j^jf
^jUKiC. hKu ^onS>J ,
revolutions in science and technology: culture and the arty whi^hrga^atig^^" '•^nqfioS^
-th^ftyn; explored the heavens; began the hard work of building a society that is equal and not
separate for African-Americans and other minorities, and extended right-torvoteTIhe chaneero—
^riae.anithe circle(dign^
^
^ ^ J z ^ ^ J ?
In America, our future is built on our dreams and labors. On our dreams and labors, we
have made this hundred years the American century. And, now, on our dreams and labors we
must build for the century to come
Already, we can see thefinelines of the next century — dramatically changing the way we
work, the way we live, the way we relate to one another, [fixes coming] Four years ago, only a^
handful of physicists had heard of the World Wide Web. Today, millions of schoolchildren_ use-it—
"^fe-explore-tlieA'ast-AvoiidjofJtnewledge. Scientists are decoding the blueprint of human life.
Cures for our greatest plagues seem within reach. Our children will work in jobs not yet invented,
in enterprises not yet imagined. A world no longer divided into two armed camps with the
capacity to destroy each other, now has the chance to lift itself through unprecedented bonds of
�c m e c a d c m u iy
o m r e n o m nt .
Yet there is a darker side to this moment. Ancient hatreds take on new and dangerous
dimensions. Science, technology and global openness can be used for evil as well as good — by
rogue states, terrorists, drug traffickers, organized criminals who exploit the progress we cherish.
. Four years ago, we gatheredjn hope, but still stood in the shadow of uncertainty.
Together, we vowed to change our course, to force the spring, to renew our nation. [-- secure in
the knowledge that what was wrong with America could be cured by what is right with America. /
Good as ii is, I would not repeat from first Inaugural.]
'
y
Since that day, we have begun together to renew America, [more fixes comingJWhere
once the ground seemed to shift beneath our feet, we have found a vital and active center,
iyiiamic yet-reek-sehd, a center that can hold and propel us forward.
Once again, America stands strong and at peace, the inspiration to the world in our
common struggle against ancient hatreds and new-found fears.
Once again, America's economy is the strongest on earth, with discipline in our budget
and prosperity for our people.
Once again, family and faith and community are our guideposts, with crime, welfare,
poverty, inequality among working people, no longer destined to deepen, butfinallybending to
our efforts.
Once again, we are making a genuine American community, founded in mutual respect,
inspiring citizen service, resisting the use of race, religion and politics to sow hatred and threaten
our own union, even as these forces destroy the lives and hopes of millions around the world.
�And, my fellow Americans, once again, we have resolved the age old debate of the role of
government in our common endeavors, moving beyond the competing philosophies that
threatened our progress. Today we can declare: Government is not the problem; government is
not the solution. We, the American people, are the solution, [fixes comingJGovemment's role is
no more and no less than to give us the tools to make the most of our own lives.
Lincoln said, as our case is new, we must think anew and act anew. As we turn to face this
new century, let us think anew and act anew for our new times.
We need a new government for a new century, [fixes coming] Where it can stand up
for the values and interests of ordinary Americans and give them the power to improve their lives,
then our government should do more, not less. From the safety of our streets, to the values of
our families; from the standards of our schools to the opportunity of our colleges; from the
benefits of our research and technology to the potential of our economy — Americans should not
face our common challenges alone.
Beyond that, my fellow citizens, the future is up to you — in your homes, in your houses
of worship, in your businesses, in your lives. From all of you we need a new responsibility for
a new century. Each and every one of us -- business leaders, educators, parents, family,friends- must recognize our responsibility — for ourselves and for all those around us. To our young
people, I say: 70,000 (ck) of you have heeded our call to a season of service in the last four years.
Now, we must prolong that season so that its light shines far beyond this moment. Our challenges
are not the challenges of one family, one neighborhood, one community, one city —they-are—s^ "ehallenges-fer-each uf us in uui CWrritvesrand they are the challenges of one nation -^gTnust
meet them as one America. For us, the challenges of one are the challenges of all.
Above all, we need a new community for a new century. Let us see the richness of our
racial and ethnic backgrounds, our deeply held religious convictions, and our competing political
philosophies as Godsends for the 21st Century. We know of the dark impulses that lurk
�everywhere in the regions of the soul. They are destroying too many people around the world.
They have touched us and nearly destroyed us in our own past. They will tempt us again in our
future. We here must find in ourselves the generosity of spirit that would repress those dark
impulses.
Thirty-four years ago, the towering spirit whose life we celebrate today spoke to us on
this very mall in words that moved the conscience of the nation, calling us to never forget that our
destinies and ourfreedomare "inextricably bound " that "we cannot walk alone " He taught us
then, and throughout his all too short life, that our nation imposes no test of creed or religion or
race. We say: if you believe in the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of
Rights, you are an American. In the spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr., let us always
remember: Our differences do not diminish us; they are the mighty force that strengthens
our hands for the work ahead.
With a new government, a new responsibility, a new community, we will connect our
oldest values to our newest challenges. We will build a bridge to the world we seek and the
America we desire.
— An America as the world's indispensable nation — promoting peace, fostering freedom,
fighting the forces of destruction, expanding open, fair commerce. This is more than a
responsibility; it is a priceless opportunity. But if we want the benefits of leadership, we must
shoulder the burdens, and pay our way.
— An America where opportunity for all is made real in the world's best schools, where
we balance our budget and invest in our people.
~ An America where ourfreedomis not mocked by the fear of crime or the degradation
of our environment, where our families and children can walk our streets and use our air and
water in safety.
�— An America where life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are made full by the miracles
of science, medicine and technology.
~ An America where all are created equal, and all share equally in the opportunity and the
responsibility to work — where wefinishthe unfinished business of the 20th century and[fixes
coming] solve the problems of the underclass.
~ An America where we uphold the duty we owe to one another, [fixes coming]to our
parents by helping them live well and with security into the fullness of their lives, and to our
children by raising them secure, loved and whole.
[could do Franklin here] [fixes coming]Today, I pledge to you to use every ounce of my
strength and every power of my office to bind us together and to prepare our nation for the
century ahead. Like you, I cannot do this alone. I ask the Members of Congress, on this platform
beside me, to join in that pledge. The American people, with eyes wide open, returned to office a
President of one party and a Congress of another. Surely, they did not do this to advance the
politics of petty bickering and personal destruction they plainly deplore. Now, they have asked us
to honestly debate our differences, then work together in a spirit of mutual respect. America
demands and deserves big thingsfromus. Nothing big ever camefrombeing small. Let us
remember the wisdom of Cardinal Bemadin, just weeks before the end of his life: "It is wrong to
waste the precious gift of time given to us on acrimony and division." We must not waste the
precious gift of this time.
All of us are on that same journey of life, which must surely come to an end. But the
journey of America must go on. And it will ~ if we do our duty. It is our time to build.
My fellow Americans, let us run the race ahead with patience and determination; let us
never rest; let us forge our own future into hard steel - andfromthat steel let us build our bridge
r
to the centurv ahead - a bridge wide enough and strong enough to carry all Americans across, a
�bridge long enough and straight enough to carry our oldest values to our newest greatness, in the
time of the Americans whose faces we will never see. Let us build in one century so that thev
might thrive in the next.
So that, on another brilliant dav. they mav say of us here: we led our beloved land forward
with the American Dream alive for all our children — with the American community strong for all
our people — with America's bright flame of freedom spreading throughout the world.
May God bless all those who would build ~ "strengthen our hands for the good work
ahead" ~ and, always, always bless our America.
�DRAFT 1/17/97 4:30p.in.
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CUNTON
INAUGURAL ADDRESS
U.S. CAPITOL
January 20,1997
We gather at the last presidential inauguration of the 20th centuryjexactly 200 years after
?
f Greorge Washington said farewell to this office and his fellow citizens, having launched the Great ,
Experiment that has brought us to this time and place.
f
"
We gather at this moment of consecration nnd radediritinn.to recall the greatness of our
past, understand the progress of our present and chart our course for the future.
America was bom in the 18th century out of the bold conviction that all of us are created
equal, endowed by God with inalienablerights:Life; liberty; the pursuit of happiness — and that
thoserightscould be more fiilly realized only byfreepeople working together to form a more
perfect union
In the 19th century, our nation spread across the continent, preserved the union and
abolished the scourge of slavery. Then, it exploded onto the world stage, wj^n, in turmoil and ' ^
triumph, we made tliia ihe AjiiEriciaii'Ocntuw.
—
What a century it has been. America became the world's mightiest industrial power; won
�Insert A: New Opening
We gather at the last presidential inauguration of the 20th century, and we see,fromthe
height of this place and this moment, the duty that falls to us now.
Though we are blessed with peace and prosperity, though we arefreeof war and social
unrest, this is no ordinary time. This is a precious moment of rare opportunity. A moment to
build an Age of Possibility in a future even brighter than our brilliant past, where more people
than ever before can make the most of their own lives. We must not let this moment slip our
grasp.
Today, let us declare with one voice: As the great American triumph of the 20th Century
draws to its close, the time to prepare for the 21st Century is upon us. Let us build at the end of
one American century, so our children may thrive in the next. In our hands rests the eternal
promise of America.
�two world wars against tyranny and a long cold war against communism; advanced peace and
prosperity throughout the world, and time and again, Feaehed out a helping hand to milhons
across the globe who ab^longed for the blessings of liberty.
At home, our people built the great American middle class; lifted the elderly out of
poverty; provided health care and nutrition to poor children; began to restore and preserve our
environment; dramatically improved public health; provided public education to all our children
and built the world's greatest system of universities; brought breathtaking advances in science,
technology and the arts, explored the heavens; abolished legal barriers for African-Americans and
other minorities, and extended the circle of citizenship, opportunity and dignity to women.
Thirty-four years ago, the towering spirit whose life we celebrate today spoke to us on
this very mall in words that moved the conscience of the nation. Itc told-ua of hift-droam deeply
rooted in thu Amuiuan Dream
•flj'^
"thnt one day llii& iialicmaillmcB up and live out the trua
*-
meaning of it3 crood: we hold thest^ttfrTu be self-evident: that all men aro created oquol."
Too soon thereafter, Martin Luther King, Jr., gave his life so that his fellow Americans
might live his dream.
His story is the story of America, of the constant dream-driven striving to live out our true
creed. Our future has ever been built on such dreams and labors. Dreams and labors made this
a. Hn*. ofgceabtm fir aor courtfry >
hundred years the American Canturv, and it is out of dreams and labors that we will build our new
�Age of Possibility in the 21st Century.
Already, we can see ijjp'nne linesyaf lhal ntiw tuitui^—^in the new ways we work and live
and relate to one another. Four years ago, the World Wide Web was the mystical province of
physicists; today it is a commonplace encyclopedia for millions of schoolchildren. Scientists are
decoding the blueprint of human life. Cures for our greatest maladies seem close at hand. Already,
work has shiftedfromfarm, to factories, to computers; tomorrow, our children will work in jobs
that have not been invented, in enterprises not yet imagined.
The world is no longer divided into twohami camps with the uaptuUy to destroy each
other. For thefirsttime in history, more people are living under democracy than dictatorship.
Growing connections of commerce and culture give us a chance to lift the fortunes and spirits of
people everywhere.
y^^-,
^
^
Jeserfph*,
ofK*.
&tu^
is a / /
Just four years ago, our march to this new future seemed less certain than today. Then, we
vowed to change our course, to force the spring, to renew our nation — secure in the knowledge
that what was wrong with America could be cured by what is right with America.
Since that day, by the stands we have taken, the battles we have waged, the achievements
we have made, the renewal of America has begun.
ion^The
Once again, America stands strong as the world's indispensable nation. nuclear threat
�jjA/ie' TWU6HT O J PdifSOff
A
PAGSJ
has been reduced. Guuinieim aiuung natimu haa bwu tApandcd lu muid Lvtfar Andfromthe
snows of Bosnia, to the sands of the Middle East, to the cobblestone streets of Belfast, to the
shores of Haiti, those who love peace andfreedomlook to America for inspiration and support.
Once again, America's economy is the strongest on earth, with new jobs for our people,
discipline in our budget and investment in our future.
—
Once again, we hove put family and faith and community^ the center of our concems.
7£re4ffr
tap* MAJ-fcjy ca*.
rAt'c-x.
•Tainilka an lHUdKiug support in thoif offorto to succeed at home and at work, and in raising
Our
children in a culture too often at odds with their values. most urgent social problems — crime,
•i^JiahV poverty, welfare, inequality among working people — all are bending to our efforts.
TpoU^
n
,
tr
m
i
,
""" "g"^ * ^» " " icfnrirird tnirnrd n £,rniiinr i^mnnnn tiiiiiiiiimiilj, riiiiiiiliil in
*
/fie are.
'
>
-mutual respect, exalting citizen service, standing against the use of race, religion and politics to
sow hatred and threaten our unionVeK&H tia lhu>c veiy fblC^ dti!>liuy llit li^ou und hopec of
inmiuiu aiUUITd Um wuild.
w^JfllTtk
And once again, we have resolved for our time the age old debate of the gole of
government in our common endeavors, moving beyond the competing phjlogophies that
^
^
-throatonod our progress. Today we can declare: Government is not the problem. Government is
Ge^rnAt^f- ir budt" our cnmmo*^^^^^
not the solution. We, the American people, are the solution. Wo have inotitutod govommont of tho
|ii mill, lij lln |
plr and fnr thr prnph/as one neMS by which, together, we can meet the
�challenges of each new age.
Thmyh
n n j n y pnnno ni^fj p r o s p e r i t y , t h o u g h WC 9Xf frfT P
f w
''
r
n
" ^
Hi
lllil '*^
tnn, in nn ^^^dinnr timr [Tinnnln taught n i, imlnii nm i l l 1 n K wr mint thinlr mrw min m i
^
1 m
)
•fuiew.]
*—
We need a new government for a new century. A government that is smaller and does
more with less. Not^govemment aiiugawj^enoughto try to solve our problems for us, but a—tY^gOYcmmont strong enough to give us the tools to malm tht' iiieut of our own livgg [or to solve our
problems for ourselves]. Where it can stand up for our values and interests in the world, or where
it can stand up for the values and interests of ordinm^Americans at home, giving them the power
to make a real difference in their everyday lives, then our government should do more, not less.
Beyond that chance, my fellow citizens, the future is up to you ^rom all of you, we need tT
new responsibihty for a new century. After our Constitution^ps-flnished, Benjamin Franklin was
asked what had been created. He rec
lie,
Fepublic if you can keep it."
For more than 200 years, Americans have kept our repubhc, meeting every challenge, by
moving toward a more perfect union. Our troubles have come only when we denied our
shortcomings or rested on our laurels. Earn dcterminpH that wc will not reot.
Business and community leaders must provide jobs for those on welfare. Parents and
�teachers must demand the toughest standards for our schools. Young people must study hard,
stay out of trouble and leam the joy of serving others. Famihes, neighbors, communities, must
band together to help parents bring values, discipline and hope to our children.
Each and every one of us, in our own way, must assume responsibihty - not just for
ourselves and our famihes, but for our neighbors and our nation.
Above all, we need a new sense oc community for a new century. We must affirm: Thatours are not the challenges of one person, one family, neighborhood, one city, one state — ours
are the challenges of an entire nation, and we must meet them as one Amenca. [For here, the
challenges of one are the challenges of all.] Und we must affirm that every Amencan nas a role
^ play, and no American should be denied the chance to play it to the hilt.^
T
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ j
Wo-muct understand 4hat ourrichtexture of racial and ethnic diversity, deeply held
rehgious convictions and widely different pohtical philosophies are Godsends for the 21st Century
world. Great rewards will come to those who can live together, leam together, work together. We
cannot give in to the dark impulses that lurk in the far regions of the soul everywhere. They have
engulfed the hves of millions around the world. They have nearly destroyed us in the past. They
have raised their heads jtg^w^the present. They will tempt us again in the future. We must
summon the generosity of spirit and strength of character to repress them.
The divide of race has been our constant curse. Hatred, cloaked in the pretense of
�-
[religious or political] conviction, is no better. We must impose no false tests of citizenship. W e ^
must affirm tho-surpassing strength in our divercity .-It will maleo uo richor—and richer in spirit if"
wefeimply say to one another: If you believe in the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence
and the Bill of Rights, you are an American./[Our differences do not diminish us. They must be
the mighty force that strengthens us for the work ahead.]
J
With a new government, a new responsibility, a new community, we can [femr;
i] and build a bridge to the world we seek and the America we desire.
tion — decisive i
An America that remains the world's indispensable nation — Alccisivi puwu UK \ «4*/«it t *
**
promrtfinfl poaco, fojtcruig dtmooiucy, bringing the world together through fair and open
commerce, leading then
ic tfluil IU UlUlUliaH! thu llutal of nuclaar, rhfminl ind biolpgioal wo
reaping the benefits of leadership because we are willing to shoulder the burdens and pay our way.
An America that prepares her children wrth-new skills they will nrrrijn thn nmrt rnntiinL
with world-class pubhc schools, the highest standards and the doors of college open to all.
An America that puts the knowledge and power of the Information Age4ato preach not
just of the few but of every school, every home and every child.
An America that keeps our economy the strongest in the world, yet jcalouoly-guagis its
air, water and land.
�shield
\
fre** hart*, j
/
An America that proteet? our children/and gives parents the time they need to be good
parents.
An America that maintains the best health care system in the world, inin£ tho urnndrrr nf
r'
1 1 1
u
n
n
• \ " fiml' M'v 'i il | liif " "
n A
/
t
"""'""c " ' " ' ' * ' '
/TMCA
everq. rtyi*
n r i •" l ilh nl mftdiril rnrr
; M ;
—
diiU-
1,f
An America that meets its obligations to our elderly by providing them with secure
retirement and health care and making the changes necessary to preserve those benefits for
generations who follow.
An America where our political system is fair and open, responding to the national
interest, not narrow interests, earning the participation and trust of all her citizens.
An America where every person will be judged on only one basis: on his or her merits.
An America that restores balance to its budget, but never loses the balance of its values.
Today I pledge all my strength and every power of my office for the work ahead. Like
you, I cannot do this alone. I ask the members of Congress here on this platfoHHjjtojoin in that
pledge. The American people, with eyes wide open, returned to office a President of one party
and a Congress of another. Surely they did not do this to advance the politics of petty bickering
and personal destruction they plainly deplore. No, they have asked us to debate our differences
8
�honestly, then to work together in a spirit of accord 4.
America demands and deserves big thingsfromus. Nothing big ever camefrombeing
small. Let us remember the timeless wisdom of Cardinal Bemadin, just weeks before the end of
his life: "It is wrong to waste the precious gift of time given to us on acrimony and division." We
must not waste the precious gift of this time.
All of us are on that same journey of life, and our journey, too, will surely come to an end.
But the journey of America must go on. It sttr^will -- if we do our duty. [It io our tima te **
build.] •
And so, my fellow Americans, let us run with patience and a grateful and understanding
heart the race that is before us. With our dreams and labor, let us build our bridge to a new
century ~ wide enough and strong enough to carry all Americans across to the Age ofPossibility
inamoro porfcet^wotr-^
^OOU dMiJx ou). Lit
1*4 ffafi*
COM, JUe prowl <rPi
Let those generations whose faces we will never see say of us here that we led our
beloved land into a new century with the American Dream alive for all her children. With the
American promise of full citizenship a reality for all of her people. With America's brightflameof
freedom spreading throughout the world.
if is qor tiiyJL fafamll-. j
At the end of one Ammaiyn Century and the dawn of a new onejmay God "strengthen our
A m f n Century and the dawn of a new oneim
m mB
9
�hands for the good work ahead" - and always, always bless our America.
[AH. Ending: And so, my fellow Americans, let us run with patience and a gratefulaifd
understah<hng heart the race that is before us. With our dreams and labors,tefusbuild our bridge
to the centuryahoid — a bridge wide enough and strong enough Xocmy all Americans across, a
bridge long enough and^traight enough to reach the time ofjhe Americans whose faces we will
never see. Let us build in one'great American centurv^^o that they may thrive in another.
Then, on another brilliant day, tJ>d£Wy say of us: We led our beloved land forward with
the American Dream alive for allplir children — wkh the American community strong for all our
people ~ with America's brightflameoffreedomspreading throughout the world.
Now, Iptus go forward, certain in the knowledge that God will bless all those who would
1"-and will ^
build -- will"strengthen our hands for the good work ahead"
'ways, always bless our
Apa^nca. ]
10
�DRAFT 1/17/97 4:30p.m.
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
INAUGURAL ADDRESS
U.S. CAPITOL
January 20,1997
We gather at the last presidential inauguration of the 20th century, exactly 200 years after
George Washington said farewell to this office and his fellow citizens, having launched the Great
Experiment that has brought us to this time and place.
We gather at this moment of consecration and rededication to recall the greatness of our
past, understand the progress of our present and chart our course for the future.
America was bom in the 18th century out of the bold conviction that all of us are created
equal, endowed by God with inalienable rights: Life; liberty; the pursuit of happiness ~ and that
those rights could be more fully realized only by free people working together to form a more
perfect union.
In the 19th century, our nation spread across the continent, preserved the union and
abolished the scourge of slavery. Then, it exploded onto the world stage, when, in turmoil and
triumph, we made this the American century.
What a century it has been. America became the world's mightiest industrial power; won
two world wars against tyranny and a long cold war against communism; advanced peace and
prosperity throughout the world, and time and again, reached out a helping hand to millions
across the globe who also longed for the blessings of liberty.
At home, our people built the great American middle class; lifted the elderly out of
poverty; provided health care and nutrition to poor children; began to restore and preserve our
environment; dramatically improved public health; provided public education to all our children
and built the world's greatest system of universities; brought breathtaking advances in science,
technology and the arts, explored the heavens; abolished legal barriers for African-Americans
and other minorities, and extended the circle of citizenship, opportunity and dignity to women.
Thirty-four years ago, the towering spirit whose life we celebrate today spoke to us on
this very mall in words that moved the conscience of the nation. He told us of his dream ~ deeply
rooted in the American Dream ~ "that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true
meaning of its creed: we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
Too soon thereafter, Martin Luther King, Jr., gave his life so that his fellow Americans
�might live his dream.
His story is the story of America, of the constant dream-driven striving to live out our true
creed. Our future has ever been built on such dreams and labors. Dreams and labors made this
hundred years the American Centurv. and it is out of dreams and labors that we will build our
new Age of Possibility in the 21st Century.
Already, we can see the fine lines of that new century - in the new ways we work and
live
and relate to one another. Four years ago, the World Wide Web was the mystical province of
physicists: today it is a commonplace encyclopedia for millions of schoolchildren. Scientists are
decoding the blueprint of human life. Cures for our greatest maladies seem close at hand.
Already, work has shifted from farm, to factories, to computers; tomorrow, our children will
work in jobs that have not been invented, in enterprises not yet imagined.
The world is no longer divided into two armed camps with the capacity to destroy each
other. For the first time in history, more people are living under democracy than dictatorship.
Growing connections of commerce and culture give us a chance to lift the fortunes and spirits of
people everywhere.
Just four years ago, our march to this new future seemed less certain than today. Then, we
vowed to change our course, to force the spring, to renew our nation — secure in the knowledge
that what was wrong with America could be cured by what is right with America.
Since that day, by the stands we have taken, the battles we have waged, the achievements
we have made, the renewal of America has begun.
Once again, America stands strong as the world's indispensable nation. The nuclear threat
has been reduced. Commerce among nations has been expanded to record levels. And from the
snows of Bosnia, to the sands of the Middle East, to the cobblestone streets of Belfast, to the
shores of Haiti, those who love peace and freedom look to America for inspiration and support.
Once again, America's economy is the strongest on earth, with new jobs for our people,
discipline in our budget and investment in our future.
Once again, we have put family and faith and community at the center of our concems.
Families are receiving support in their efforts to succeed at home and at work, and in raising
children in a culture too often at odds with their values. Our most urgent social problems ~
crime, poverty, welfare, inequality among working people - all are bending to our efforts.
Once again, we are moving forward toward a genuine America community, founded in
mutual respect, exalting citizen service, standing against the use of race, religion and politics to
sow hatred and threaten our union, even as these very forces destroy the lives and hopes of
�millions around the world.
And once again, we have resolved for our time the age old debate of the role of
government in our common endeavors, moving beyond the competing philosophies that
threatened our progress. Today we can declare: Government is not the problem. Government is
not the solution. We, the American people, are the solution. We have instituted government of
the people, by the people and for the people, as one means by which, together, we can meet the
challenges of each new age.
Though we enjoy peace and prosperity, though we are free of war and social unrest, this,
too, is no ordinary time. [Lincoln taught us, when our case is new, we must think anew and act
anew.]
We need a new government for a new century. A government that is smaller and does
more with less. Not a government arrogant enough to try to solve our problems for us, but a
government strong enough to give us the tools to make the most of our own lives [or to solve our
problems for ourselves]. Where it can stand up for our values and interests in the world, or where
it can stand up for the values and interests of ordinary Americans at home, giving them the power
to make a real difference in their everyday lives, then our government should do more, not less.
Beyond that chance, my fellow citizens, the future is up to you. From all of you, we need
a new responsibility for a new century. After our Constitution was finished, Benjamin Franklin
was asked what had been created. He replied: "A republic, if you can keep it."
For more than 200 years, Americans have kept our republic, meeting every challenge, by
moving toward a more perfect union. Our troubles have come only when we denied our
shortcomings or rested on our laurels. I am determined that we will not rest.
Business and community leaders must provide jobs for those on welfare. Parents and
teachers must demand the toughest standards for our schools. Young people must study hard,
stay out of trouble and learn the joy of serving others. Families, neighbors, communities, must
band together to help parents bring values, discipline and hope to our children.
Each and every one of us, in our own way, must assume responsibility - not just for
ourselves and our families, but for our neighbors and our nation.
Above all, we need a new sense of community for a new century. We must affirm: That
ours are not the challenges of one person, one family, neighborhood, one city, one state ~ ours
are the challenges of an entire nation, and we must meet them as one America. [For here, the
challenges of one are the challenges of all.] And we must affirm that every American has a role
to play, and no American should be denied the chance to play it to the hilt.
We must understand that our rich texture of racial and ethnic diversity, deeply held
�religious convictions and widely different political philosophies are Godsends for the 21st
Century world. Great rewards will come to those who can live together, leam together, work
together. We cannot give in to the dark impulses that lurk in the far regions of the soul
everywhere. They have engulfed the lives of millions around the world. They have nearly
destroyed us in the past. They have raised their heads again in the present. They will tempt us
again in the future. We must summon the generosity of spirit and strength of character to repress
them.
The divide of race has been our constant curse. Hatred, cloaked in the pretense of
[religious or political] conviction, is no better. We must impose no false tests of citizenship. We
must affirm the surpassing strength in our diversity . It will make us richer — and richer in spirit
if we simply say to one another: If you believe in the Constitution, the Declaration of
Independence and the Bill of Rights, you are an American. [Our differences do not diminish us.
They must be the mighty force that strengthens us for the work ahead.]
With a new government, a new responsibility, a new community, we can [form a more
perfect union] and build a bridge to the world we seek and the America we desire.
An America that remains the world's indispensable nation - a decisive power in
promoting peace, fostering democracy, bringing the world together through fair and open
commerce, leading the effort to eliminate the threat of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons,
reaping the benefits of leadership because we are willing to shoulder the burdens and pay our
way.
An America that prepares her children with new skills they will need in the next century
with world-class public schools, the highest standards and the doors of college open to all.
An America that puts the knowledge and power of the Information Age into the reach not
just of the few but of every school, every home and every child.
An America that keeps our economy the strongest in the world, yet jealously guards its
air, water and land.
An America that protects our children, and gives parents the time they need to be good
parents.
An America that maintains the best health care system in the world, using the wonders of
science to find cures for its plagues and making sure no child is ever left without medical care.
An America that meets its obligations to our elderly by providing them with secure
retirement and health care and making the changes necessary to preserve those benefits for
generations who follow.
�An America where our political system is fair and open, responding to the national
interest, not narrow interests, earning the participation and trust of all her citizens.
An America where every person will be judged on only one basis: on his or her merits.
An America that restores balance to its budget, but never loses the balance of its values.
Today I pledge all my strength and every power of my office for the work ahead. Like
you, I cannot do this alone. I ask the members of Congress here on this platform to join in that
pledge. The American people, with eyes wide open, returned to office a President of one party
and a Congress of another. Surely they did not do this to advance the politics of petty bickering
and personal destruction they plainly deplore. No, they have asked us to debate our differences
honestly, then to work together in a spirit of accord d.
America demands and deserves big things from us. Nothing big ever came from being
small. Let us remember the timeless wisdom of Cardinal Bemadin, just weeks before the end of
his life: "It is wrong to waste the precious gift of time given to us on acrimony and division." We
must not waste the precious gift of this time.
All of us are on that same journey of life, and our journey, too, will surely come to an
end. But the journey of America must go on. It surely will — if we do our duty. [It is our time to
build.]
And so, my fellow Americans,4et us run with patience and a grateful and understanding
heart the race that is before us. With our dreams and labor, let us build our bridge to a new
century - wide enough and strong enough to carry all Americans across to the Age of Possibility
in a more perfect union.
Let those generations whose faces we will never see say of us here that we led our
beloved land into a new century with the American Dream alive for all her children. With the
American promise of full citizenship a reality for all of her people. With America's bright flame
of freedom spreading throughout the world.
At the end of one American Century and the dawn of a new one, may God "strengthen
our hands for the good work ahead" - and always, always bless our America.
[Alt. Ending: And so, my fellow Americans, let us run with patience and a grateful and
understanding heart the race that is before us. With our dreams and labors, let us build our bridge
to the century ahead - a bridge wide enough and strong enough to carry all Americans across, a
bridge long enough and straight enough to reach the time of the Americans whose faces we will
never see. Let us build in one great American century, so that they may thrive in another.
�Then, on another brilliant day, they may say of us: We led our beloved land forward with
the American Dream alive for all our children -- with the American community strong for all our
people -- with America's bright flame of freedom spreading throughout the world.
Now, let us go forward, certain in the knowledge that God will bless all those who would
build - will "strengthen our hands for the good work ahead" -- and will always, always bless our
America. ]
�0
�DRAFT 1/18/97 Noon
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
INAUGURAL ADDRESS
U.S. CAPITOL
January 20, 1997
We gather at the last presidential inauguration of the 20th century. From the height of this
place and this moment, we can see clearly the duty we must embrace.
We are blessed with peace and prosperity, and world leadership unique in our/nistory.
Events have combined ffonopircd] to give us a precious moment of rare opportunim a moment
to build an Age of Possibility in a future even brighter than our brilhant pasUah age when more
people than ever before can make the most of their own lives and enrich the pe of our nation and
the world.We must not let this moment slip our grasp.
Today, let us declare with one voice: As the great American triumph of the 20th Century
draws to its close, the time to prepare for the 21st Century is upon us. We will build at the end of
this century, so our children may thrive in the next. We are well aware that, in our hands, rests the
eternal promise of America.
America was bom in the 18th century out of the bold conviction that all of us are created
equal, endowed by God with inalienablerights:Life; liberty; the pursuit of happiness ~ and that
thoserightscould be realized only byfreepeople working together to form a more perfect union.
In the 19th century, our nation spread across the continent, preserved the union and
abolished the scourge of slavery. Then, it exploded onto the world stage, in turmoil and triumph,
when we made this the American century.
/^-c^^A
What a century it has been. America became the world's mightiest industrial power; won
two world wars and a long cold war against tyranny; advanced peace and prosperity throughout
the world, and time and again, extended a helping hand to millions across the globe who longed
for the blessings of liberty.
At home, our people built the great American middle class; lifted the elderly out of
�poverty; provided health care and nutrition to poor children; began to restore and preserve our
environment; dramatically improved pubhc health; provided pubhc education to all our children;
built the world's greatest system of universities; brought breathtaking advances in science,
technology and the arts; explored the heavens; fed much of the earth; effected a revolution in civil
rights for African-Americans and other minoritie^^nd extended the circle of citizenship,
opportunity and dignity to women.
^
Thirty-four years ago, the towering spirit whose life we celebrate today spoke to us on
this very mall in words that quickened the conscience of the nation. Like a prohet of old, he told
of his dream ~ that one day America wouldriseup and live out its creed, treating all citizens as
equals, before the law and in the heart.
Too soon thereafter, Martin Luther King, Jr., gave his life so that his fellow Americans
might live his dream,,
^is dream was the American Dream; his story the story of America, of the constant
dream-driven striving to hve out our true creed^Our future has ever been built on such dreams
and labors. Dreams and labors made this hundred years the American Century, and it is out of
dreams and labors that we will build our new Age of Possibility in the 21st Century.
^MO^
Already, we can see itsfinelines — in the new ways we work and hve
gttftffc and relate to one another. Four years ago, the World Wide Web was the mystical province of
physicists; today it is a commonplace encyclopedia for millions of schoolchildren. Scientists are
decoding the blueprint of human life. Cures for our greatest maladies seem close at hand. Already,
work has shiftedfromfarm, to factories, to computers; tomorrow, our children will work in jobs
that have not been invented, in enterprises not yet imagined.
The world is no longer divided into two hostile camps armed to destroy each other. For
thefirsttime in history, more people are living under democracy than dictatorship. Growing
connections of commerce and culture give us a chance to lift the fortunes and spirits of people
everywhere.
Just four years ago, our march to this new future seemed less certain than today. Then, we
vowed to change our course, to force the spring, to renew our nation.
Today, the renewal has begun.
Once again, America stands strong as the world's indispensable nation. We have reduced
the nuclear threat. Our efforts have increased commerce with other nations to record levels. And
from the snows of Bosnia, to the sands of the Middle East, to the cobblestone streets of Belfast,
to the shores of Haiti, those who love peace andfreedomlook to America for inspiration and
support.
�Once again, America's economy is the strongest on earth, with new jobs for our people,
discipline in our budget and investment in our future.
Once again, family, faith and community stand at the cerfter of our concems, as we help
working families raise their children well in a culture too oftej with their values. Our most urgent
social problems ~ crime, poverty, welfare, inequality among working people - all are bending to
our efforts. We are exalting citizen service and standing against the use of race, religion and
politics to sow hatred and threaten our union.
^^-"L^
And once again, we have resolved for our time/great debate over the role of
government, moving beyond the outdated theories that had paralyzed our progress. Today we can
declare: Government is not the problem. Government is not the solution. We, the American
people, are the solution. Government is but our common instrument, the means our Constitution
provides for us to meet the challenges of this new age together.
A/our times change, so our government must change. We need a new government for a
new ceritury. A government that is smaller and does more with less. A government humble
enough not I f try to solve all our problems for us, but strong enough to give us the tools to solve
our problems for ourselves. And confident enough to maintain our world leadership. Where it can
stand up for our values and interests in the world, and where it can stand up for the values and
interests of Americans at home, giving them the power to make a real difference in their everyday
lives, then our government should do more, not less. In this way, all Americans will have not a
guarantee, but a chance, to build better lives.
Beyond that chance, my fellow citizens, the future is up to you. Our Founders well
understood that the preservation of our liberty and our union depends upon the responsibihty of
all citizens to strive ceaselessly for the sake of our nation. As Benjamin Franklin said, they gave us
"a republic, if you can keep it."
For more than 200 years, Americans have kept our repubhc. To be sure, we have had our
troubles and backsliding, but only when we denied our shortcomings and rested on our laurels.
Today, we must declare: We will noi restjLVf^'
(CC^rf-dT
(
4
y)We need a new sense of responsibihty for ^(new century.^Business and community
1 i oleaders must provide jobs for those who must movefromwelfare to work. Parents and teachers ^ j ^ .
must demand the toughest standards for our schools. Young people must study hard, stay out of/^ A J T ^
trouble and leam the joy of serving others. Families, neighbors, communities must help parents
bring values, discipline and hope to our children.
[These are things the government alone cannot do.] Each and every one of us, in our own
way, must assume responsibility — not just for ourselves and our families, but for our neighbors
and our nation.
�Indeed, our greatest responsibility is to embrace a new community for a new century. To
succeed, we must be one nation. It will not be easy, for within our borders there are people from
every other nation on earth, of every oonooivoble religious and political disposition. [The gobal
economy and exploding technology continually upset old patterns of work and living and leave
many people feeling bewildered, disconnected, vulnerable to the cruel illusion that we can lift
ourselves up by keeping our neighbors down.]
Yet ourrichtexture of racial, rehgious and political diversity is a Godsend for the 21st
Century world. Great rewards will come to those who can hve together, leam together, work
together, change together, create new ties that bind together. ^ f ^ ^ ^ S ^ f ^ j ^ ^ ^ •j
We dare not give in to the dark impulses that lurk in the far regions of the soul
everywhere. They have engulfed the lives of millions around the world. They have nearly
destroyed us in the past. They raise their [vile] heads in the present. They will tempt us again in
the future. With generosity of spirit and strength of character, we must repress them, so that all
hardworking, law-abiding men and women feel at home with one another, know they are part of
.(Jfiewhoje^nd enjoy the blessings of liberty.
The great divide of race has been our constant curse. Hatred, cloaked intlje^MElegseof
religious or political conviction, is no better. They all rob those who are hated,(and even moreT)
those who hate. We must simply say to one another: If you believe I n thefConstitotioa.the--'^
Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, you are an American, v,
ari/icip-Z**
With a new government, a new responsibility, a new community, we can build a bridge to
the world we seek and the America we would leave to our children.
An America that remains the world's indispensable nation — standing for peace and
freedom against the dark forces of terror and destruction; leading the effort to eliminate the threat
of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons; bringing the world together through fair and open^
commerce, reaping the benefits of leadership because we^houlder the burdens and pay our way.
£7
An America that givers her children new skills for a new economy, with universal literacy,
the highest standards for our schools, the doors of college open to all.
An America that puts the knowledge and power of the Information Age within the reach
not just of the few but of every school, every workplace, every home and every child.
An America that keeps our economy the strongest in the world, yet jealously guards its air
and water and land.
An America where everyone who can work does work, and the permanent underclass is a
5ng>of the past.
�An America that shields our childrenfrom^/violence— on their streets, in their schools,
in their homes — and gives their parents the time and support they need to succeed at home and in
work.
[crime and drugs] [terror, destruction, drug tafficking] [women]
An America that maintains the best health care system in the world, extending its reach to
every single child, opening its doors to hard working people shut out today.
An America that meets its obligations to our elderly by providing them with secure
retirement and health care and making the changes necessary to preserve those benefits for
generations who follow.
An America where our political system is fair and open, responding to the national
interest, not the narrow interests, increasing the participation and earning the trust of all her
citizens.
An America that restores balance to its budget, but never loses the balance of its values.
We have built and will continue to build the most prosperous nation the world has ever
known. But as we close out the millenium that saw civilization emergefromdarkness and the
century that saw evil's vilest moment crushed by good'sfinesthour, let us never forget: The
greatest progress we have made, and have yet to make, is in the human heart.
In America, we hear a higher calling. In the end, a nation is judged not by what is written
in our accounts, but by what lies withuyt^citizens' souls. If you wish to change the world, a
thousand armies are no match for the(decencyjbf the human spirit.
'/to/-^ ^
pr
Today I pledge all my strength and every power of my office for the work ahead. I ask the
members of Congress here to join in that pledge. The American people, [with eyes wide open,]
returned to office a President of one party and a Congress of another. Surely they did not do this
to advance the politics of petty bickering and personal destruction they plainly deplore. No, they
have asked us to debate our differences honestly, then to work together, extending to each other
an outstretched hand and the benefit of the doubt.
America demands and deserves big thingsfromus. Nothing big ever camefrombeing
small. Let us remember the timeless wisdom of Cardinal Bemadin, just weeks before the end of
his life: "It is wrong to waste the precious gift of time given to us on acrimony and division."
We must not waste the precious gift of this time. For all of us are on that same journey of
life, and our journey, too, will surely come to an end. But the journey of America must go on.
And so, my fellow Americans, let us run with patience and a grateful and understanding
�heart the race that is before us. With our dreams and labor, let us build our bridge to a new
century — wide enough and strong enough to carry all Americans across to the Age of Possibility
that awaits us. Let us shape the hope of this moment into a history we can be proud of.
Let those generations of whose faces we will never see, whose names we will never know,
say of us here that we led our beloved land into a new century with the American Dream alive for
all her children. With thefiillpromise of our American community a reahty for all her people.
With America's brightflameoffreedomspreading throughout all the world.
May God "strengthen our hands for the good work ahead" — and always, always bless our
America.
�Draft 1/18/97 Midnight
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
INAUGURAL ADDRESS
U.S. CAPITOL
JANUARY 20,1997
We gather at the last Presidential inauguration of the 20th Century. From the height of
this place and this time, let us resolve to build at the end of this century, so that our children may
thrive in the next. P»™t<j ^nvr •-'•""ki"H y* giv in n m^mrnt nf [rirh opportunity that brings
\^th it a-doop responsibihty for the futufe. We must make this moment ours/with a commitment to
\
dorightby those who will follow us in this blessed land, (from Proc.) For in our hands rests the
eternal promise of America.
America was bom in the 18th Century out of the bold conviction that we are all created
equal. In the 19th century our nation spread across the continent, preserved the union, and
abolished the scourge of slavery. Then, in turmoil and triumph, it exploded on the world stage to
make this the American Century.
America became the world's mightiest industrial power; won two world wars and a long
cold war against tyranny; and time and again reached out a helping hand to millions across the
globe who longed for the blessings of liberty.
At home Americans produced: the great middle class; longer hves and secure old age;
schools open to all children; atomic energy, the computer, and the space program; a revolution in
�civilrightsand an extended circle of citizenship, opportunity, and dignity for women.
Now, a new century is jtat fuui^oflSsisSBy. Already we can see its psie lines] ~ in the
new ways we work and live and relate to one another. Four years ago, the World Wide Web was
the mystical province of physicists; today it is a commonplace encyclopedia for millions of
schoolchildren. Scientists are decoding the b(u^rim)of human life. Cures for our most feared
illnesses seem close at hand. Already, work has shiftedfromfarm, to factory, to computer;
tomorrow, our children will work in enterprises not yet imagined.
The world is no longer divided into two hostile camps armed to destroy each other. For
thefirsttime in history, more people live under democracy than dictatorship. Growing
connections of commerce and culture give us a chance to lift the fortunes and spirits of people
everywhere.
Just four years ago, our march to this new future seemed less certain than today, 'ftma&jt^
difficult timo, without n-cleaf coursfe^We vowed to set that course, to force the spring, to renew
our nation.
JrTCuched'By-tFaggd^ strengthened hy mtiimmnnfnt oTrhilnrntrtri hy thft-oWtr^ipc an
possibibilitie? ahead, we have come alont; wav-oaxmr journey to change^Arnerica's course fpr the
�Today, America stands alone as the world's indispensable nation. Today, America's
economy is the strongest on earth. Today, we are building stronger families, safer streets and a
cleaner environment ~ as problems that once seemed destined to deepen now bend to our efforts.
-
And pnc^ agwFj^eliave resolved tor our time, a great debate over^the role o T ^ -"---^ ^ ^
d pnce agwpjiwehave
over the
"
^
government. [We have moved beyond old divisions of the past which posed false, misguided
choices for the future.] Today we can declare: Government is not the problem. Government is not
the solution. We, the American people, are the solution. Self-government is simply the means our
Constitution provides for us to meet our common challenges. Its role must be defined in every age
by what is necessary to meet those challenges.
As times change, so government must change. We need a new government for a new
century ~ a government humble enough not to try to solve all our problems for us, but strong
enough to give us the tools to solve our problems for ourselves. A government that is smaller^jnd
do^yrrtoi'er^iiHlesS. Where it can stand up for our values and interests in the world and where it
can give Americans the power to make a real difference in fh^ir everyday lives, our government
should do more, not less. In this way, all Americans will have a^ilippportunity ~ not a guarantee^
~ but a real opportunity to build better lives.
Beyond that, my fellow citizens, the future is up to us. Our Founders well understood that
the preservation of our liberty and our union depends upon responsible citizenship.
�We need a new sense of responsibility for a new century. There is work to dojout-thefe^.
work that government cannot do. There are streets to be made safe. There are jobs to be created
for people to movefromwelfare to work, higher standards for our schools, hard study by our
children, young people to be kept off drugs, community service by our citizens.
Each and every one of us, in our own way, must assume responsibility ~ not just for
ourselves and our families, but for our neighbors and our nation.
^
VA
^ ^ "? ^ <iSodMU*-g+,
Indeed, our greatest responsibility is to embrace a new spirit of community for a new
century. To succeed, we must be one America.
We dare not give in to the dark impulses that lurk in the far regions of the soul
everywhere. They torment the lives of milhons around the world. They have nearly destroyed us
in the past. They raise their vile heads in the present. They will tempt us again in the future.
The divide of race has been our constant curse. Hatred, cloaked in the pretense of
rehgious or political conviction, is no better. They rob both those who are hated, and those who
hate, of what they might become. With generosity of spirit and strength of character, we must
repress those impulses, so that all hardworking, law abiding men and women feel at home with
one another, know they are part of the whole, and enjoy the blessings of liberty.
Our rich texture of racial, religious and political diversity is, in fact, a Godsend in the 21st
�Century world. Great rewards will come to those who cap hve tog^her^leam together,
^^^ei^cfi^get^^^^^reate new ties that bind together.
With a newfeftd-efgovemment,a new sense of responsibility, a new spirit of community,
we ART build/a bridge to the world we seek apd the America we would leave to our childreny
Let us build an America that remains the world's indispensable nation — standing for
peace andfreedomagainst the dark forces of terror and destruction; leading the effort to eliminate
the threat of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons; bringing the world together through fair
and open commerce; reaping the benefits of leadership because we shoulder the burden and pay
our way.
Let us build an America that^vesjler children new skills for a new economy, with
universal literacy, the highest standards for our schools, the doors of college open to all.
Let us build an America th^putstl)e knowledge and power of the Information Age within
reach of not a few, but of every school, every workplace, every home and every child.
Let us build an America that keejis nr ecor
our economy the strongest in the world, yet jealously
^/^guard$jit/air andj^ater and^land.
Let us build an America where everyone who can work does work, and the permanent
1
�underclass is lifted into a vibrant, growing middle class.
Let us build an America that values the talents of every girl and every boy, and helps men
and women to meet their responsibilities at home and at work.
Let us build an America that shields our childrenfromviolence on our streets, in our
schools, in our homes, and offers them a culture that affirms and teaches timeless values.
Let us build an America tl^nidntmns^th^est health care system in the world, extending
its reach to every child, opening its doors to hard working people shut out today.
Let us build an America that meets its obligations ~ by providing our seniors with secure
retirement and health care, and by making the reforms necessary to preserve those benefits for
generations who follow.
Let us build an America where our pohtical system is fair and open, responding to the
national interest, not the narrow interests, increasing the participation and earning the trust of all
her citizens.
Let us build an America that restores balance to its budget, but never loses the balance of
its values.
�Let us build an America that is always moving toward its promise of a more perfect union.
Thirty-four years ago, the man whose life we celebrate today spoke to usfromthe other
end of this mall, in words that quickened the conscience of a nation. Like a prophet of old, he
told of his dream, that one day America wouldriseup and treat all its citizens as equals before the
law and in the heart. Martin Luther King's dream was the American Dream. His story is
America's story: the constant striving to live out our true creed.jOurWstory has been built on
such dreams and labors. And it is out of dreams and labors that we will redeem the promise of
America in the 21st Century.
v
We have built and will continue to build the most prosperous and powerful nation the
world has ever known. But let us never forget: the greatest progress we have made, and have yet
to make, is in the human heart. In the end, all the world's wealth and a thousand armies are no
match for the strength and decency of the human spirit.
Today, I pledge all my strength and every power of my office for the work ahead. I ask
the members of Congress here to join in that pledge. The American people returned to office a
resident of one party and a Congress of another. Surely they did not do this to advance the
pohtics of petty bickering and extreme partisanship they plainly deplore. No, they expect us to
reconcile our differences and work togetherfor them.
[They have called upon uis to repair the breach and td restore our path to the future.]
1
�America demands and deserves big thingsfromjlsf'Nothing big ever camefrombeing
small. Let us remember the wisdom of Cardinal Bemadin, justwee^bifbi^ the end of his life:
"It is wrong to waste the precious gift of time given to us on acrimony and division."
We must not waste the precious gift of this time. For all of us are on that same journey of
life, and our journey, too, will surely come to an end. But the journey of America must go on.
4 u- stone
^aw* ~ /*uc^ k<£W.
^ W ^ J U
A i B ^ I l A fellow Americans, with patience, gratitude, and dedication, let us shape the
hope of this moment into a history of which we can be proud. Let us build our bridge, wideanH
strong enough to carry all Americans across to a new American century.
May those generations whose faces we will never see, whose names we will never know,
say of us here that we led our beloved land into a new century with the American Dream alive for
all her children. With the American promise of a more perfect union a reality for all her people.
With America's brightflameoffreedomspreading thro^iButall the world.
May God "strengthen our hands for the good work ahead" — and always, always bless our
America.
�DRAFT 1/18/97 2:30pm
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
INAUGURAL ADDRESS
U.S. CAPITOL
January 20,1997
We gather at the last presidential inauguration of the 20th century, and from the height of
^Vy^this p l
a c e
^
ttosinomenywe can see clearly the duty we must embrace.
We are blessed with peace and prosperity, and world leadership unique in our history.
Events have combined to give us a precious moment of rare opportunity, a moment to build an
Age of Possibility in a future/ev^brighter than our brilliant pasta iuuiflc mlHiAinore people than
ever before cwftnake the most of their own lives and enrich the life of our nation and the world.
We must not let this moment slip our grasp.
*
Today, let us declare with one voice: As the great American triumph of the 20th Century
draws to its close, the time to prepare for the 21st Century is upon us. We ^
SuUd at the end of
3a6 century, so^our children may thrive in the next. Wr nrr TriillwrrriiT Mi jl Jinj^ii hands, rests the
eternal promise of America.
America was bom in the 18th century out of the bold conviction that we are all created
equafcTfendowed by God with inalienable rights: Life; liberty; the pursuit of happiness ~ and that
�thoserightscould be realized only byfreepeople working together to form a more perfect union
In the 19th century, our nation spread across the continent, preserved the union and
^
abolished the scourge of slavery. Then, jfie?qsleided onto the world stagejm turmoil and triumph,
^.
wfien live made this the American Century.
<
jwhat a century it has been^ America^ecame the world's mightiest industrial power; won
two world wars and a long cold war against tyranny; advanced peace and procpority throughout-,
the wedd, and time and again, extended triudping hand to millions across the globe who longed
for the blessings ^S^^f'
At home, our people built the great American middle class; lifted the elderly out of
poverty; provided health care and nutrition to poor children; began to restore and preserve our
environment; ii nmnlii'nlly improvpH pjibli^ffatthrr^fymH public education to all our children;
built the world's greatest system of universitie^brought breathtaking advances in science,
technology and the arts; ekplored the heavens; fed much of the earth; effected a revolution in civil
/V
rights for African-Americans and other minorities, and extended the circle of citizenship,
opportunity and dignity to women.
Thirty-four years ago, the towering spirit whose life we celebrate today spoke to us on
this very mall in words that quickened the conscience of the nation. Like a prophet of old, he told
of his dream ~ that one day America wouldriseup and hve out its creed, treating all citizens as
�equals, before the law and in the heart.
Too soon thereafter, Martin Luther King, Jr., gave his hfe so that his fellow Americans
His dream was the American Dream; his story the story of America, of the constant
dream-driven striving to live out our true creed. Our future has ever been built on such dreams
and labors. Dreams and labors made this hundred years the American Century, and it is out of
dreams and labors that we will build our new Age of Possibihty in the 21st Century.
Already, we can see itsfinelines — in the new ways we work and hve
and relate to one another. Four years ago, the World Wide Web was the mystical province of
Cryuvxa^^) -f
a>lj
physicists; today it is a commonplace encyclopedia for millions of schoolchildren. Scientists are
decoding the blueprint of human life. Cures for our greatest maladies seem close at hand. Already,
work has shiftedfromfarm, to factory, to computer; tomorrow, our children will work in jobs
that have not been invented, in enterprises not yet imagined.
The world is no longer divided into two hostile camps armed to destroy each other. For
thefirsttime in history, more people live under democracy than dictatorship. Growing
connections of commerce and culture give us a chance to lift the fortunes and spirits of people
everywhere.
,
0
~ \ ^ * ~"
0
�Just four years ago, our march to this new future seemed less certain than today. Then, we
vowed to change our course, to force the spring, to renew our nation.
Grv^jdnznc (jetu^ju^ V r o J J j ^ O/v^Awv,
^foday^^POHcwal has boguii:
O~J-^Q-
<ru^ ^Orti- pJO-A^-
-Q^-p ad»in America stands strong as the world's indispensable nation. We have reduced
£7ti6
^T
the nuclear threat. Our efforts have increased commerce with other nations to record levels. And
from the snows of Bosnia, to the sands of the Middle East, to the-cOflblesBll^treets of Belfast
^
A
to the shores of Haiti, those who love peace andfreedomlook to America for inspiration and '^<-L *Jo-4^a^..
strength. ^
^JJJAX**.
—Onee-agair^America's economy is the strongest on earth, with new jobs for our people,
t
discipline in our budget and investment in our future.
Qn^i^n^lfamily, faith and community stand at the center of our concems, as we help
working families raise their children well in a culture too often at odds with their values. Our most
,
urgent social problems - crime, poverty, welfare, inequahty among working people — all are
bending to our efforts. We-are-exaltmg citizen seivice and siailding against tho use of race^
religion and politiofitp sow hatred and threaten our union.——_
: again, we have resolved for ur time aa greatdebate over the role of
our time great debate over the role of
government, moving beyond the outdated theoriesMiat paralyzed our progress. Today we can
n / o
'^i^K-^
�declare: Government is not the problem _Ga\«mnignns~ndt thesoIuttonTWe, the American
1
people, are the solution. iGovemment is but our common instrumentJtHe means our Constitution
provides for us to meet the challenges of-ihjs new age together.
As our times change, so our government must changd^ We need a new government for a
new century^Agovemment that is smaller and does more with les^. A government humble
enough tlS^dt-dees not try to solve all our problems for us, but strong enough to give us the tools
to solve our problems for ourselves. And-confident enough tn maintain nnr world londnrnhip
Where it can stand up for our values and interests in the world, and where it can stand up for the
values and interests of Americans at home, giving them the power to make a real difference in
their smmfd&flxvzs, then our government should do more, not less. In this way, all Americans will
have not a guarantee, but a chance, to build better lives.
Beyond that damceTmy fellow citizens, the future is up-te-you. Oui Fuuflduj mtHpreservation of our liberty and our union depends upon the responsibility of
all citizens to stftvg~Ceaselessly for the sake of our nation. [As Benjamin Franklin said, they gave
HE "a repnhlir, if ynij^ap keepit-^]-
For more than 200 years, Americans have kept our republic,
troubl^^id baolcolidinjjj Iml mily when we denied our shortcomings and rested on our laurels.
Today, we must declare: We will not rest.
�We need a new sense of responsibility for a new century. Business and community leaders
must provide jobs for those who must movefromwelfare to work. Parents and teachers must
demand the toughest standards for our schools. Young people must study hard, stay out of
trouble and leam the joy of serving others. Families, neighbors, communities must help parents
bring values, disciphne and hope to our children.
Each and every one of us, in our own way, must assume responsibility ~ not just for
ourselves and our families, but for our neighbors and our nation.
Undeed, our greatelfresponsibility is to embrace a new community for a new century. To
f ( \ succeed, we must be one nation. Itwfll not be easy, for within our bordoro theie aie peuple-frem-.
-^veiy-«thcr nation on oarth.-ef everyl^onceivaDjg^eligious and pohtical disposition. {Hw^ebal
hnologycontinually
economy and exploding technology J
n
npnnt old pwttirnr n f u|i-iik- anri1iv'"g n d IffO'^ft
roany people feeling bewildercdT^feconnected, vulnerable to the cruel illusion-that-we cai^lift
-
ourselves up by keeping our neighbors down.]
Yet our rich texture of racial, religious and political diversity is
or the 21st
A
Century world. Great rewards will come to those who can hve together, leam together, work
together, change together, create new ties that bind together.
We dare not give in to the dark impulses that lurk in the far regions of the soul
everywhere. They have engulfed the lives of milhons around the world. They have nearly
ff'^'""'^^*
�^destroyed us in the past. They raise their heads in the present. They will tempt us again in the
n )
'
rtheiasb that all
* iture.l^ith generosity of spirit and strength of character, we must repre;
hardworking, law-abiding
feel at home with one another know They are part of
©
4£t>
4
/\
o^o
qu^
3^
the whole^nd enjoy the blessings of liberty.
The great divide of race has been our constant curse. Hatred, cloaked in the pretense of
(^
\
J
\ S
,
religious or political conviction, is no better. They all rob those who are hated, ana even more, j
\
^-^y
J
those who hateXJU^ejnust simply say to one another: If you believe in the Constitution, the
Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, you are an American^J^^^^)
With a new government, a new responsibility, a new community, we can build a bridge to
T—
the world we seek and the America we would leave to our children.
I
10
Cb^uJ ' ^ ^fTAmerica that remains the world's indispensable nation ~ standing for peace and
freedom against the dark forces of terror and destruction; leading the effort to eliminate the threat
of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons; bringing the world together through fair And open
commerce, reaping the benefits of leadership because we shoulder the burdens and pay our way.
An America that gives her children new skills for a new economy, with universal literacy,
the highest standards for our schools, the doors of college open to all.
An America that puts the knowledge and power of the Information Age within the reach
[
�not juirt ef ^ f c w btit of every school, every workplace, every home and every child.
An America that keeps our economy the strongest in the world, yet jealously guards its air
<
s,
u
An America \yhgre everyone who can work does work, and the permanent underclass is4^ ~ ~ ^*'
America that wclcomoo theHalents of every girl, and every boy —
>meiQfolm&rtthoir rcsponsibihtiesmrhome and at work:
cil___
ka-that shields our childronfromviolence, on our streets, in our schools,^our
homes — an((o&rs them a culture that affirmsjmdjeaghes valuesMdb we need more on crime?]
An America that maintains the best health care system in the world, extending its reach to
every/;
lild, opening its doors to hard working people shut out today.
An America that meets its obligations to our elderly by providing them with secure
retirement and health care and making the changes necessary to preserve those benefits for
generations who follow.
An America where our pohtical system is fair and open, responding to the national
interest, not the narrow interests, increasing the participation and earning the trust of all her
8
�citizens.
An America that restores balance to its budget, but never loses the balance of its values.
We have built and will continue to build the most prosperous nation the world has ever
known. But as we close out the millennium that saw civilization emergefromdarkness and the
century that saw evil's vilest moment crushed by good'sfinesthour, let us never forget: The
greatest progress we have made, and have yet to make, is in the human heart.
In America, we hear a higher calling. In the end, a nation is judged not by what is written
in its account books, but by what lies within its citizens' souls. If you wish to change the world, a
thousand armies are no match for the decency of the human spirit.
Today I pledge all my strength and every power of my office for the work ahead. I ask the
members of Congress here to join in that pledge. The American people, [with eyes wide open,]
returned to office a President of one party and a Congress of another. Surely they did not do this
to advance the politics of petty bickering and personal destruction they plainly deplore. No, they
have asked us to debate our differences honestly, then to work together, extending to each other
an outstretched hand and the benefit of the doubt.
America demands and deserves big thingsfromus. Nothing big ever camefrombeing
small. Let us remember the timeless wisdom of Cardinal Bemadin, just weeks before the end of
�his life: "It is wrong to waste the precious gift of time given to us on acrimony and division.'
We must not waste the precious gift of this time. For all of us are on that same journey of
life, and our journey, too, will surely come to an end. But the jqymey of America must go on.
And «), my fellov? Americans^letus run with patience and a grateful and understanding
SA*»3<« -c^ — ~~~~
—-S—-—
heart the
; that:
is. With our dreams and labor, let us build our bridge to a new
4
ican^crosi^o the Age of Possibihty
century — wide enough and strong enough to carry all Ameri
o
r
>
x
that awaits us. Let us shape the hope of this moment into a history we can be proud of.
lose generations whose faces we will never see, whose names we will never know,
say of us here that we led our beloved land into a new century with the American Dream alive for
all her children. With the American promise of a more perfect union a reality for all her people.
With America's bright flame offreedomspreading throughout all the world.
May Gpd-^istrengt^en our hands for the good work ahead" — and always, always bless our
America.
10
�Draft 1/18/97 i-hpffi"
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J . CLINTON
INAUGURAL ADDRESS
U.S. CAPITOL
JANUARY 20,1997
We gather at the last Presidential inauguration of the 20th Century. From the height of
this place and time, let us resolve to build at the end of this century, so that our children may
thrive in the next. Events have combined to give us a moment of F«e opportunity we must make
hours. For in our hands rests the eternal promise of America.
^rfc^
/
America was bom in the 18th Century out of the bold conviction that we are all created
equal. In the 19th century our nation spread across the continent, preserved the union, and
abohshed the scourge of slavery. Then, in turmoil and triumph, it exploded on the world stage to
make this the American Century.
America became the world's mightiest industrial power; won two world wars and a long
cold war against tyranny; and time and again reached out a helping hand to milhons across the
globe who longed for the blessings of liberty.
At home Americans producedjjthe great middle class; longer lives and secure old age;
schools open to all children; atomic energy, the computer, and the space program; a revolution in
civilrightsand an extended circle of citizenship, opportunity, and dignity for women.
Now, a new century is just four years away. Aheady we can see its [fine lines] — in the
new ways we work and hve and relate to one another. Four years ago, the World Wide Web was
the mystical province of physicists; today it is a commonplace encyclopedia for milhons of
schoolchildren. Scientists are decoding the blueprint of human hfe. Cures for our most feared
illnesses seem close at hand. Already, work has shifted from farm, to factory, to computer;
tomorrow, our children will work in enterprises not yet imagined.
The world is no longer divided into two hostile camps armed to destroy each other. For
the first time in history, more people live under democracy than dictatorship. Growing
connections of commerce and culture give us a chance to lift the fortunes and spirits of people
everywhere.
Just four years ago, our march to this new future seemed less certain than today. It was a
difficult time, without a clear course. We vowed to set that course, to force the spring, to renew
our nation.
Today, America stands alone as the world's indispensable nation. Todly, America's
economy is the strongest on earth. Once again, we are building stronger famihes, safer streets and
a cleaner environment.
�And once again, we have resolved for our time, a great debate over the role of
government, [false choices]. Today we can declare: Government is not the problem. Government
is not the solution. We, the American people, are the solution. Self-government is simply the
means our Constitution provides for us to meet our common challenges. Its role must be defined
in everyjige by what is necessary to meet those challenges.
\ times change, so govfifrnment must change. We need a new government for a new
century^ A government humble/enough not to try to solve all our problems for us, but strong
enough to give us the tools to jour problems for ourselves. A government that is smaller and does
more with less. Where it can stand up for our values and interests in the world and where, at
home, it give Americans the power to make a real difference in their everyday lives, theiTour
government should do more, not less. In this way, all Americans will have a real opportunity —
not a guarantee ~ but a real opportunity to build better Uves.
Beyond that, my fellow citizens, the future is up to us. Our Founders well understood that
the preservation of our liberty and our union depends upon responsible citizenship.
We need a new sense of responsibihty for a new century. There is work to do out there,
work that government cannot do. There are streets to be made safe. There are jobs to be created
for people to movefromwelfare to work, higher standards for our schools, hard study by our
children, community service by our citizens, young people to be kept off drugs.
Each and every one of us, in our own way, must assume responsibihty — not just for
ourselves and our famihes, but for our neighbors and our nation.
Indeed, our greatest responsibihty is to embrace a new spirit of community for a new
century. To succeed, we must be one America.
We dare not give in to the dark impulses that lurk in the far regions of the soul
everywhere. They torment the lives of milhons around the world. They have nearly destroyed us
in the past. They raise their ugly heads in the present. They will tempt us again in the future.
The divide of race has been our constant curse. Hatred, cloaked in the pretense of
rehgious or political conviction, is no better. They rob both those who are hated, and those who
hate, of what they might become. With generosity of spirit and strength of character, we must
repress those impulses, so that all hardworking, law abiding men and women feel at home with
one another, know they are part of the whole, and enjoy the blessings of liberty.
Ourrichtexture of racial, rehgious and political diversity is, in fact, a Godsend in the 21st
Century world. Great rewards will come to those who can hve together, leam together, work
together, change together, create new ties that bind together.
With a new kind of government, a new sense of responsibihty, a new spirit of community,
we can build a bridge to the world we seek and the America we would leave to our children.
�Let us build an America that remains the world's indispensable nation - standing for
peace andfreedomagainst the dark forces of terror and destruction; leading the effort to eliminate
the threat of nuclear chemical and biological weapons; bringing the world together through fair
and open commerce; reaping the benefits of leadership because we shoulder the burden and pay
our way.
Let us build an America that gives her children new skills for a new economy, with
universal hteracy, the highest standards for our schools, the doors of college open to all.
Let us build an America that puts the knowledge and power of the Information Age within
reach of not the few but of every school, every workplace, every home and every child.
Let us build an America that keeps our economy the strongest in the world, yet jealously
guards its air and water and land.
Let us build an America where everyone who can work does work, and the permanent
underclass is lifted into a vibrant, growing middle class.
An America that values the talents of every girl and every boy, and helps men and women
to meet their responsibilities at home and at work.
Let us build an America that shields our childrenfromviolence on our streets, in our
schools, in our homes, and offers them a culture that affirms and teaches timeless values.
Let us build an America that maintains the best health cares system in the world, extending
its reach to every child, opening its doors to hard working people shut out today.
Let us build an America that meets its obligations — by providing our seniors with secure
retirement and health care, and by making the reforms necessary to preserve those benefits for
generations who follow.
Let us build an America here our pohtical system is fair and open, responding to the
national interest, not the narrow interests, increasing the participation and earning the trust of all
her citizens.
Let us build an America that restores balance to its budget, but never loses the balance of
its values.
Let us build an America that is always moving toward its promise of a more perfect union.
Thirty-four years ago, the man *fiose life we celebrate today spoke to usfromthe other
end of this mall, in words that quickeiythe conscience of a nation. Like a prophet of old, he told
of his dream that one day America would rise up and treat all its citizens as equals before the law,
and in the heart. Martin Luther King's dream was the American Dream. His story is America's
story: the constant striving to live out our true creed. Our history has been built on such dreams
�and labors. And it is out of dreams and labors that we will redeem the promise of America in the
21st Century.
We have built and will continue to build the most prosperous and powerful nation the
world has ever known. But let us never forget: the greatest progress we have made, and have yet
to make, is in the human heart. In the end, all the world's wealth and a thousand armies are no
match for the strength and decency of the human spirit.
Today, I pledge all my strength and every power of my office for the work ahead. I ask
the members of Congress here to join in that pledge. The American people returned to office a
President of one party and a Congress of another. Surely they did not do this to advance the
politics of petty bickering and extreme partisanship they plainly deplore. No, they expect us to
reconcile our differences and work together for them.
America demands and deserves big thingsfromus. Nothing big ever camefrombeing
small. Let us remember the wisdom of Cardinal Bemadin, just weeks before the end of his life:
"It is wrong to waste the precious gift of time given to us on acrimony and division."
We must not waste the precious gift of this time. For all of us are on that same journey of
life, and our journey, too, will surely come to an end. But the journey of America must go on.
And so, my fellow Americans, with patience, gratitude, and dedication, let us shape the
hope of this moment into a history of ^yhich we can be proud. Let us build our bridge, wide and
strong enough to carry all Americans across to a new American century.
May those generations whose faces we will never see, whose names we will never know,
say of us here that we led our beloved land into a new century with the American Dream alive for
all her children. With the American promise of a more perfect union a reality for all her people.
With America's bright flame offreedomspreading throughout all the world.
May God "strengthen our hands for the good work ahead" — and always, always bless our
America.
�DRAFT 1/18/97 2:30pm
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CUNTON
INAUGURAL ADDRESS
U.S. CAPITOL
January 20,1997
We gather at the last presidential inauguration of the 20th century, andfromthe height of
this place and this moment, we can see clearly the duty we must embrace.
We are blessed with peace and prosperity, and world leadership unique in our history.
Events have combined to give us a precious moment of rare opportunity, a moment to build an
Age of Possibihty in a future even brighter than our brilhant past, an age when more people than
ever before can make the most of their own Uves and enrich the hfe of our nation and the world.
We must not let this moment sUp our grasp.
Today, let us declare with one voice: As the great American triumph of the 20th Century
draws to its close, the time to prepare for the 21st Century is upon us. We will build at the end of
one century, so our children may thrive in the next. We are weU aware that, in our hands, rests the
eternal promise of America.
America was bom in the 18th century out of the bold conviction that we are all created
equal, endowed by God with inaUenablerights:Life; liberty; the pursuit of happiness — and that
thoserightscould be realized only byfreepeople working together to form a more perfect union.
In the 19th century, our nation spread across the continent, preserved the union and
abohshed the scourge of slavery. Then, it exploded onto the world stage, in turmoil and triumph,
when we made this the American Century.
What a century it has been. America became the world's mightiest industrial power; won
two world wars and a long cold war against tyranny; advanced peace and prosperity throughout
the world, and time and again, extended a helping hand to milhons across the globe who longed
for the blessings of liberty.
At home, our people built the great American middle class; lifted the elderly out of
poverty; provided health care and nutrition to poor children; began to restore and preserve our
environment; dramatically improved pubhc health; provided pubhc education to all our children;
built the world's greatest system of universities; brought breathtaking advances in science,
technology and the arts; explored the heavens; fed much of the earth; effected a revolution in civil
�rights for African-Americans and other minorities, and extended the circle of citizenship,
opportunity and dignity to women.
Thirty-four years ago, the towering spirit whose life we celebrate today spoke to us on
this very mall in words that quickened the conscience of the nation. Like a prophet of old, he told
of his dream ~ that one day America wouldriseup and hve out its creed, treating all citizens as
equals, before the law and in the heart.
Too soon thereafter, Martin Luther King, Jr., gave his life so that his fellow Americans
might live his dream.
His dream was the American Dream; his story the story of America, of the constant
dream-driven striving to hve out our true creed. Our future has ever been built on such dreams
and labors. Dreams and labors made this hundred years the American Century, and it is out of
dreams and labors that we will build our new Age of Possibihty in the 21st Century.
Already, we can see itsfinelines — in the new ways we work and hve
and relate to one another. Four years ago, the World Wide Web was the mystical province of
physicists; today it is a commonplace encyclopedia for milhons of schoolchildren. Scientists are
decoding the blueprint of human life. Cures for our greatest maladies seem close at hand. Already,
work has shiftedfromfarm, to factory, to computer; tomorrow, our children will work in jobs
that have not been invented, in enterprises not yet imagined.
The world is no longer dividedinto two hostile camps armed to destroy each other. For
thefirsttime in history, more people hve under democracy than dictatorship. Growing
connections of commerce and culture give us a chance to lift the fortunes and spirits of people
everywhere.
Just four years ago, our march to this new future seemed less certain than today. Then, we
vowed to change our course, to force the spring, to renew our nation.
Today, the renewal has begun.
Once again, America stands strong as the world's indispensable nation. We have reduced
the nuclear threat. Our efforts have increased commerce with other nations to record levels. And
from the snows of Bosnia, to the sands of the Middle East, to the cobblestone streets of Belfast,
to the shores of Haiti, those who love peace andfreedomlook to America for inspiration and
strength.
Once again, America's economy is the strongest on earth, with new jobs for our people,
discipline in our budget and investment in our future.
Once again, family, faith and community stand at the center of our concems, as we help
�working families raise their children well in a culture too often at odds with their values. Our most
urgent social problems ~ crime, poverty, welfare, inequahty among working people — all are
bending to our efforts. We are exalting citizen service and standing against the use of race,
rehgion and pohtics to sow hatred and threaten our union.
And once again, we have resolved for our time a great debate over the role of
government, moving beyond the outdated theories that paralyzed our progress. Today we can
declare: Government is not the problem. Government is not the solution. We, the American
people, are the solution. Government is but our common instrument, the means our Constitution
provides for us to meet the challenges of this new age together.
As our times change, so our government must change. We need a new government for a
new century. A government that is smaller and does more with less. A government humble
enough that it does not try to solve all our problems for us, but strong enough to give us the tools
to solve our problems for ourselves. And confident enough to maintain our world leadership.
Where it can stand up for our values and interests in the world, and where it can stand up for the
values and interests of Americans at home, giving them the power to make a real difference in
their everyday lives, then our government should do more, not less. In this way, all Americans will
have not a guarantee, but a chance, to build better lives.
Beyond that chance, my fellow citizens, the future is up to you. Our Founders well
understood that the preservation of our liberty and our union depends upon the responsibility of
all citizens to strive ceaselessly for the sake of our nation. [As Benjamin Franklin said, they gave
us "a republic, if you can keep it."]
For more than 200 years, Americans have kept our repubhc. To be sure, we have had our
troubles and backsliding, but only when we denied our shortcomings and rested on our laurels.
Today, we must declare: We will not rest.
We need a new sense of responsibihty for a new century. Business and community leaders
must provide jobs for those who must movefromwelfare to work. Parents and teachers must
demand the toughest standards for our schools. Young people must study hard, stay out of
trouble and leam the joy of serving others. Famihes, neighbors, communities must help parents
bring values, disciphne and hope to our children.
Each and every one of us, in our own way, must assume responsibihty — not just for
ourselves and our famihes, but for our neighbors and our nation.
Indeed, our greatest responsibihty is to embrace a new community for a new century. To
succeed, we must be one nation. It will not be easy, for within our borders there are people from
every other nation on earth, of every conceivable rehgious and pohtical disposition. [The global
economy and exploding technology continually upset old patterns of work and living and leave
many people feeling bewildered, disconnected, vulnerable to the cruel illusion that we can lift
�ourselves up by keeping our neighbors down.]
Yet ourrichtexture of racial, rehgious and pohtical diversity is a Godsend for the 21st
Century world. Great rewards will come to those who can hve together, leam together, work
together, change together, create new ties that bind together.
We dare not give in to the dark impulses that lurk in the far regions of the soul
everywhere. They have engulfed the lives of milhons around the world. They have nearly
destroyed us in the past. They raise their heads in the present. They will tempt us again in the
future. With generosity of spirit and strength of character, we must repress them, so that all
hardworking, law-abiding men and women feel at home with one another, know they are part of
the whole and enjoy the blessings of liberty.
The great divide of race has been our constant curse. Hatred, cloaked in the pretense of
rehgious or pohtical conviction, is no better. They all rob those who are hated, and even more,
those who hate. We must simply say to one another: If you beheve in the Constitution, the
Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, you are an American.
With a new government, a new responsibihty, a new community, we can build a bridge to
the world we seek and the America we would leave to our children.
An America that remains the world's indispensable nation — standing for peace and
freedom against the dark forces of terror and destruction; leading the effort to eliminate the threat
of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons; bringing the world together through fair and open
commerce, reaping the benefits of leadership because we shoulder the burdens and pay our way.
An America that gives her children new skills for a new economy, with universal hteracy,
the highest standards for our schools, the doors of college open to all.
An America that puts the knowledge and power of the Information Age within the reach
not just of the few but of every school, every workplace, every home and every child.
An America that keeps our economy the strongest in the world, yet jealously guards its air
and water and land.
An America where everyone who can work does work, and the permanent underclass is a
thing of the past.
An America that welcomes the talents of every girl, and every boy ~ and helps men and
women to meet their responsibihties at home and at work.
An America that shields our childrenfromviolence, on our streets, in our schools, our
homes — and offers them a culture that aflBrms and teaches values, [do we need more on crime?]
�An America that maintains the best health care system in the world, extending its reach to
every single child, opening its doors to hard working people shut out today.
An America that meets its obligations to our elderly by providing them with secure
retirement and health care and making the changes necessary to preserve those benefits for
generations who follow.
An America where our political system is fair and open, responding to the national
interest, not the narrow interests, increasing the participation and earning the trust of all her
citizens.
An America that restores balance to its budget, but never loses the balance of its values.
We have built and will continue to build the most prosperous nation the world has ever
known. But as we close out the millennium that saw civilization emergefromdarkness and the
century that saw evil's vilest moment crushed by good'sfinesthour, let us never forget: The
greatest progress we have made, and have yet to make, is in the human heart.
In America, we hear a higher calling. In the end, a nation is judged not by what is written
in its account books, but by what lies within its citizens' souls. If you wish to change the worid, a
thousand armies are no match for the decency of the human spirit.
Today I pledge all my strength and every power of my office for the work ahead. I ask the
members of Congress here to join in that pledge. The American people, [with eyes wide open,]
returned to office a President of one party and a Congress of another. Surely they did not do this
to advance the politics of petty bickering and personal destruction they plainly deplore. No, they
have asked us to debate our differences honestly, then to work together, extending to each other
an outstretched hand and the benefit of the doubt.
America demands and deserves big thingsfromus. Nothing big ever camefrombeing
small. Let us remember the timeless wisdom of Cardinal Bemadin, just weeks before the end of
his hfe: "It is wrong to waste the precious gift of time given to us on acrimony and division."
We must not waste the precious gift of this time. For all of us are on that same journey of
life, and our journey, too, will surely come to an end. But the journey of America must go on.
And so, my fellow Americans, let us run with patience and a grateful and understanding
heart the race that is before us. With our dreams and labor, let us build our bridge to a new
century ~ wide enough and strong enough to carry all Americans across to the Age of Possibihty
that awaits us. Let us shape the hope of this moment into a history we can be proud of.
Let those generations whose faces we will never see, whose names we will never know,
say of us here that we led our beloved land into a new century with the American Dream alive for
�all her children. With the American promise of a more perfect union a reality for all her people.
With America's brightflameoffreedomspreading throughout all the world.
May God "strengthen our hands for the good work ahead" ~ and always, always bless our
America.
�DRAFT 1/18/97 2:30pin
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J . CLINTON
INAUGURAL ADDRESS
U.S. CAPITOL
January 20, 1997
We gather at the last presidential inauguration of the 20th centuryj/aad from the height of
this place and tliis iiiuiuu^, we can see clearly the duty we must embrace.
'
J
We are blessed with peace and prosperity, and world leadership unique in our history.
Events have combined to give us a praoteupmoment of rare opportunity, a moment to build an
Age of Possibihty in a future eren brighter than our brilhant past, an ago when more people than
v i l l lot aUeb
ever before pq* make the most of their own lives and enrich the life of our nation and the world.
C <
(We must not let this moment slip our graspT}—» 0^ s*i*u*t' **eU»jL fA/'s
TQL
hmrmetrf oars.
/
^fieTTtK
*
rorrp*r
0
Today, let us declare with one voice: As the great American triumph of the 20th Century
draws to its close, the time to prepare for the 21st Century is upon us. We wiH build at the end of
^G«e.century, soour children may thrive in the next. We-are-wcll awaro thgi, in our hands, rests the
eternal promise of America.
America was bom in the 18th century out of the bold conviction that we are all created
�V-VJnil!
IIH mafeefi nnly hy frp^ ppnplp w n ^ ^ C ^ngnthpp tn form n w|fife perfcot uni«ft^-
In the 19th century jour nation spread across the continentjpreserved the union and
v
abolished the scourge of slavery. Then,|it^exploded onto the world stag^n turmoil and triumph/^
^whea we made this the American Centurv,
|what a century it has beeivjAmerica became the world's mightiest industrial power; won
two world wars and a long cold war against tyranny; advanced piau, and pimpuiti,! throughout
6
VSe H**^ -the-wTrrW, and time and again, extended a helping hand to milhons across the globe who longed
for the blessings of liberty.
\co»yu>«J{U deprszi**h> build j
At home, our people«jik the great American middle class; lifted the elderly out of
poverty; provided health care and nutrition to poor children; began to restore and preserve our
________
Q#teML
environment; drmnaiiuilly Improved putJllC htiUhh^pfevyed public education to all our children;
built the world's greatest system of universitiesi^fought breathtaking advances in science,
technology and the arts^explored the heavens; fed much of the earth; effected a revolution in civil
rights for African-Americans and other minorities, and extended the circle of citizenship,
opportunity and dignity to women.
Thirty-four years ago, the towering spirit whose hfe we celebrate today spoke to us on *
—
.
Marti* LVKIA Kit
tliis reiy lIWll in words that quickened the conscience of the nation. Like a prophet of old,^ told
of his dream ~ that one day America wouldriseup and hve out its creed, treating all citizens as
�equals, before the law and in the heart.
Teorsoon thereaftu, Mmtin Lulhu IGug,^.-, gave his life oo that hio follow Anwricany—I*,
mightitve hifrdream.
a
—
His dream was the American Dream; his storyyhe story of America, of the constant
1
611
tb***" ^""c^-^nv strivingjto live out our true creed. Our futuro hao over been built on such dreams
vy and laboro. Dreams and labors made this-hundrod yoaro the American Century, and it is out of
dreams and labors that we will build our new Age of Possibihty in the 21st Century.
Already, we can see itsfinelines — in the new ways we work and live
and relate to one another. Four years ago, the World Wide Web was the mystical province of
physicists; today it is a commonplace encyclopedia for milhons of schoolchildren. Scientists are
decoding the blueprint of human life. Cures for our groateat-maladies seem close at hand. Aheady,
work has shiftedfromfarm, to factory, to computer; tomorrow, our children will work in jobs
that have not been invented, in enterprises not yet imagined.
The world is no longer divided into two hostile camps armed to destroy each other. For
thefirsttime in history, more people live under democracy than dictatorship. Growing
connections of commerce and culture give us a chance to lift the fortunes and spirits of people
everywhere.
�Just four years ago, our march to this new future seemed less certain than today. Them, we
vowed to change our course, to force the spring, to renew our nation.
.Today, the renewal has begui*-
Onec again^America stands strong as the world's indispensable nation. We have reduced
the nuclear threat,
f^^"
mf
'"^a^ftd r nTr *
(
r n n, ,
"
t h
fttl,pF
tn rnnnrH Imwln And
from the snows of Bosnia, to the sands of the Middle East, 4a the oobbleatone streets of Belfast,
to the shores of Haiti, those who love peace andfreedomlook to America for inspiration and
strength.
-tOnee again, America's economy is the strongest on earth, with new jobs for our people,
discipline in our budgel$nd investmont in uui fuluic^-jOur acoviovnic u>aH\w4 IS: i'nve<t<Wjr
"^^Qnca-agam-, family, faith and community stand at the center of our concems, as we help
working famihes raise their children well in a culture too often at odds with their values. Our most
urgent social problems ~ crime, poverty, welfare, inequahty among working people — all are
bending to our efforts. jWe are exalting citizen service and standing against the use of race, "J*
1 rehgion and pohtics to sow hatred and threaten our union.
v
/
TTfff
f
f
Qeiew
And onoo again, we have resolved for our time a great debate over the role of
oMcf/ns'**firof-H* fast uikitts f i n d GAu, mvjy'*** ch*ic*A -for
government, moving beyond tha-outdatud lliLuiiiff that pnralyaod our progreofc. Today we can
�declare: Government is not the problem. Government is not the solution. We, the American
people, are the solution.jGovemment is but our common instrument, the means our Constitution
A
eack
provides for us to meet the challenges of thi^new age together.
As our times change, so our government must change. We need a new government for a
new century.^, government that is smaller and does more withless^A government humble
+0 knooJ ii- cannot
enough that it dues uurUji lu solve all our problems for us, but strong enough to give us the tools
^
^
K
A
ft
to solve our problems for ourselves /And confident onough tu mamUllli uui world leadership!———
Where it can stand up for our values and interests in the world, and where it can stand up for the
values and interests of Americans at home, j^vm^ them the power to make a real difference in
their everyday lives, then our government should do more, not less. In this way, all Americans will
havejnot a guarantee, but^eftaaee, to bumfbetter lives.
orx.
Beyond that ohanee^my fellow citizens, the fotwe is ttp to yeu. Gar Foundeis well
^—
undcrctood that ihe pieseivaiiun uf uui libeily and oui uillun depuidj upon the reapuiiAibUiiy uf
\v>
-
». all citizeno to etrive ceasHpssly fnr thp sakp nf our nation. [As Benjamin Franklin said they gave—
0
\
t ?
)
\J
<<_
/
ui-
'.c
i
>n
For more than 200 years, Americans have kept our repubhc. To be sure, we have had our
troubles and backshding, but only when we denied our shortcomings and rested on our laurels.
Today, we must declare: We will not rest.
^
1
J
�Every adult must teach our children rightfromwrong. Every child must have an adult who cares
what they do. Every American, young and old, must take responsibihty to give something back to
their community and their country.
We need a new sense of responsibility for a new century .^Business and community leaders
must provide jobs for those who must movefromwelfare to work. Parents and teachers must
//ve fa* +U. roUo,
demand the toughest standards for our schools. Young people must study hard, stayodrof
^trouble and leam the joy of serving other^Famdioo, neighboro, oommumliu must help parents
hring ralnri, rimplm an4
mr I'hiHr™
Each and every one of us, in our own way, must assume responsibihty — not just for
ourselves and our famihes, but for our neighbors and our nation.
Indeed, our greatest responsibihty is to embrace a new community for a new century. To
succeed, we must be one nation. It will not be easy, for within our borders there are people from
every other nation on earth, of every conceivable rehgious and pohtical disposition. [The global
economy and exploding technology continually upset old patterns of work and living and leave
many people feehng bewildered, disconnected, vulnerable to the cruel illusion that we can lift
6
ourselves up by keeping our neighbors down.]
i<ci
A G
Yet our rich texture of racial, rehgious and pohtical diversity is a Godsend for the 21st
I-
Century world. Great rewards will come to those who can hve together, leam together, work
e -
together, change together, create new ties that bind together.
We dare not give in to the dark impulses that lurk in the far regions of the soul
everywhere. They have engulfed the hves of millions around the world. They have nearly
�destroyed us in the past. They raise their heads in the present. They will tempt us again in the
future. With generosity of spirit and strength of character, we must repress them, so that all
hardworking, law-abiding men and women feel at home with one another, know they are part of
the whole and enjoy the blessings of liberty.
I
The great divide of race has been our constant curse. Hatred, cloaked in the pretense of
rehgious or pohtical conviction, is no better. They all rob those who are hated, and even more,
those who hate. We must simply say to one another: If you beheve in the Constitution, the
Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, you are an American.
With a new government, a new responsibihty, a new community, we can build a bridge to
the world we seek and the America we would leave to our children.
14
^An America that remains the world's indispensable nation — standing for peace and
freedom against the dark forces of terror and destruction; leading the effort to eliminate the threat
of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons; bringing the world together through fair and open
commerce, reaping the benefits of leadership because we shoulder the burdens and pay our way.
yyAn America that gives her children new skills for a new economy, with universal Uteracy,
the highest standards for our schools, the doors of coUege open to aU.
An America that puts the knowledge and power of the Information Age within the reach
�In America, the challenges of one are the challenges of all.
Indeed, our greatest responsibihty is to embrace a new community for a new century. To
succeed, we must be one America.
We dare not give in to the dark impulses that lurk in the far regions of the soul
everywhere. They have engulfed the hves of milhons around the world. They have nearly
destroyed us in the past. They raise their heads in the present. They will tempt us again in the
future. The great divide of race has been our constant curse. Hatred, cloaked in the pretense of
rehgious or pohtical conviction, is no better. They all rob those who are hated and those who
hate.
With generosity of spirit and strength of character, we must repress those impulses, so that
all hardworking, law-abiding people feel at home with one another and know they are part of the
whole. Our rich texture of racial, religious and pohtical diversity is, in fact, a blessing, not a curse
for the 21st Century world. Great rewards will come to those who can live together, leam
together, work together, change together, create new ties that bind together.
We must simply say to one another: If you work hard, raise your children and meet your
responsibihties, you are living the spirit of America. If you believe in the Constitution, the
Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, you are an American.
�not just of t
but of every school, every workplace, every home and every child.
An America that keeps our economy the strongest in the world, yet jealously guards its air
and water and land.
•Hvdr re&ms tjelfare 90ftodr^oCAM. i^ork., iods oJor\c, a~JL Ihedt- Hffr
An America wliut cvu jiuut who eon work dees work, and the pai'manent uudaralaos is a
An America that welcomes the talents of every girl, and every boy — and helps men and
II §11
women to meet their responsibihties at home and at work.
An America that shields our childrenfromviolence, on our streets, in our schools, our
homes — and offers them a culture that afiBrms and teaches values. \do we need more on crim
An America that maintains the best health care system in the world, extending its reach to
every single child, opening its doors to hard working people shut out today.
An America that meets its obligations to our elderly by providing them with secure
retirement and health care and making the changes necessary to preserve those benefits for
generations who follow.
An Americawhoro-01 political system is fair and open, responding to the national
whoro-our
interest, not the narrow interests, increasing the participation and earning the trust of all her
8
�citizens.
An America that restores balance to its budget, but never loses the balance of its values.
We have built and will continue to build the most prosperous nation the world has ever
neajr ty* of
known. But as we oloae-eutthe millennium that saw civilization emergefromdarkness and Ihe—*"
>ecniury that saw evil's vilest moment crushed by good'sfinesthour, let us never forget: The
greatest progress we have made, and have yet to make, is in the human heart.
In America, we hear a higher calling. In the end, a nation is judged not by what is written
^
//vcs
pwpfie'i
in its account books, but by what •Hc^within its eitizen^ souls. If you wish to change the world, a
thousand armies are no match for the decency of the human spirit.
Today I pledge all my strength and every power of my office for the work ahead. I ask the
members of Congress here to join in that pledge. The American people, [with eyes wide open,]
returned to office a President of one party and a Congress of another. Surely they did not do this
to advance the politics of petty bickering and personal destruction tiny -plainlji dcpkif^ No, they
have asked us to debate our differences honestly, then to work together,
an-out3tretiliui haiKTand the benefit uf ihe duubt—
«<« fare.
+6* public /n/aresrt, /tj&oo
America demands and deserves big thingsfromus. Nothing big ever camefrombeing
small. Let us remember the timeless wisdom of Cardinal Bemadin, just weeks before the end of
�his life: "It is wrong to waste the precious gift of time given to us on acrimony and division."
We must not waste the precious gift of this time. For all of us are on that same journey of
life, and our journey, too, will surely come to an end. But the journey of America must go on.
•And BO, my fellow Americans, lot usftm with patience and a grateful and understanding
^
hnrTt^fi nrt thnt in hrfnrr m With mr dranmr nnd Inhnr, j£t us build our bridge to a new
century — wide enough and strong enough to cany all AmericansV&oss to the Agt uf Pu&iilWlily
that awaito us/tet us shape the hope of this moment into a history we can be proud of. 1
b
'
So fhedt
y^fcei those generations whose faces we will never see, whose names we will never know,
say of us here that we led our beloved land into a new century with the American Dream alive for
all her children. With the American promise of a more perfect union a reahty for all her people.
With America's bright flame offreedomspreading throughout all the world.
May God "strengthen our hands for the good work ahead" — and always, always bless our
America.
10
��DRAFT 1/18/97 2:30pm
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
INAUGURAL ADDRESS
U.S. CAPITOL
January 20,1997
We gather at the last presidential maug^ratioirVxjf the 20th century, andfromthe height of
this place and this moment, we can see clearjy the dutv^e must embrace.
J W^ari blessed with p
Events h^ve combined to give
Age ot Possibihty in afijtufejven
ewer before can m^keihe most
LWe must nctlet^ms moment
Id an
pie than
and the world.
h
>
lw
r a
f
r
•Today, let us declare with one voice: vffhn grnnt Amnirfl" •'•"•"'p '• £)t ?0t^ ' n " y
draws to its close, the time to prepare for the 21st Century is upon us. We will build at the end of
one century, so our children may thrive in the next. WeaffD well awaro that,^ our hands, rests the
eternal promise of America^ 1
.
___
^
J
VWtfU^i^
h~r<-ec^e
was bom in the 18th century out of the bold conviction that wo-are-all created
equal, endowed by God with tfterablerights:'fetfe,libeily, the puisuil offtappinegsand that
tUos&ri^rts-could be realized only byfreepeople working together to form a more perfect union.
C
In the 19th century, mir jintian spread across the continent, preserved the union and
abohshed the scourge of slavery. Thcn^ it exploded onto lln wuild ulugo, in turmoil on J liiuinph s^
whrn WP made lltio the American Contuiyrf
century it hwhecn. America became the world's mightiest industrial power; won
two world wars and a long cold war against tyranny; advanced peace and prosperity throughout
the world, nnrl lima imd niffl™ extended a helping hand to millions across the globe who longed
for the blessings of liberty.
At home, oiw-peeple built the great American middle class; lifted the elderly out of
poverty; provided health care and nutrition to poor children; began to restore and preserve our
environment; dramatically improved pubhc health; provided public education to all our children;
built the world's greatest system of universities; brought breathtaking advances in science,
technology and the arts; explored the heavens; fed much of the earth; effected a revolution in civil
7
�rights for African-Americans and other minorities, and extended the circle of citizenship,
opportunity and dignity to women.
Thirty-four years ago, the towering spirit whose life we celebrate today spoke to us on
this very mall in words that quickened the conscience of the nation. Like a prophet of old, he told
of his dream - that one day America wouldriseup and hve out its MMd, treating all citizens as
equals, before the law and in tri^eart.
f^vW^af^j^^
Too soon thereafter, Martin Luther King, Jr., gave his life so that his fellow Americansmight live his dream.
His dream was the American Dream; his story the story of America, of the constant
dream-driven striving to hve out our true creed. Our future has ever been built on such dreams
and labors. Dreams and labors made this hundred years the American Century, and it is out of
dreams and labors that we will build our new Age of Possibihty in the 21st Century. I
P
>
7
Aheady, we can see itsfinelines — in the new ways we work and hve
and relate to one another. Four years ago, the World Wide Web was the mystical province of
physicists; today it is a commonplace encyclopedia for milhons of schoolduldren. Scientists are
decoding the blueprint of human life. Cures for our greatest maladtesseem close at hand. Already,
work has shiftedfromfarm, to factory, to computer; tomojjo^Tour children will work in jobs
that have not been invented, in enterprises not yet ir
The world is no longer dividedjnto^wo hostile camps armed to destroy each other. For
thefirsttime in history, more peoplelive under democracy than dictatorship. Growing
connections of commeree'Snd culture give us a chance to lift the fortunes and spirits of people
everywhers
^^kist four years ago, our march to this new future seemed less certain than today. Then, we
vowed to change our course, to force the spring, to renew our nation.^t^jL o u^j < I •o*
Toifa^the renewal has begun.
^ynceagmri), AmenciOstands strong as the world's indispensable nation,
luced
the nuclear/threat. Out-effbrts have increasgd-commerce withjilher nations to
And
from the^nows^fBosnia,tothesands of the Middle^East, to the>cobbl£st(She stn ofBelfast,
to the ^npres of Haiti, those wholove peace anolreedom look to Wierica for inspiration and
strength.
npHEeagau^ America's economy ij^he strongest on eartlvwith new jobs fo^uuLpeople,
discipline in our budget and investment in our future.
, ^mily, faith and community stand^it the center of our concerns,, as-we-help
�working families raise their children well in a culture too often at odds with their values. Our most
urgent social problems — crime, poverty, welfare, inequahty among working people — all are
bending to our efforts. We are exalting citizen service and standing against the use of race,
rehgion and pohtics to sow hatred and threaten our union.
And[once againj weTiave resolved £or our time j^-great debate over the role of
government^ moving beyond-thc-outdated-theories that paralyzed our progress. Today we can
declare: Government is not the problem. Government is not the solution. We, the American
people, are the solution. Government is but our common instrument, the means our Constitution i
provides for us to meet the challenges of this new age together.
j
As ©w times change, so ear government must change. We need a new government for a —i
new century. A government that is smaller and does more with less. A government humble
enough that it does not try to solve all our problems for us, but strong enough to give us the tools
to solve our problems for ourselves. And confident enough to maintain our world leadership.
-Xyfoerc^t can^tffnd up-^fot our^alUes and interestsm the work^and wherejt can sjand up for the
value/andihterestsof J^ertcans at honje, givmgtnemthe^powertp^makeWrealdigera\cj*tn
theiyeVeryiiay Ijves /theiVojar goyepunent Should do mor^ not les^In this way, all Americans will
have not a guarantee, but a chance, to buihtfietter live^
Beyond that chance, my&fem-tntizgns. the future is up to^u. Our Founders well
understood that the preservation of our liberty and our union depends upon the responsibility of
all citizens to strive ceaselessly for the sake of our nation. |AaJ)onjoMiin Ftanklin mid, \lity gtiVfe•ug^Xrept^fier^yeu-ean keep
For more than 200 years, Amencans have kept our repubhc. To be sure, we have had our
troubles and backshding, but only wnenwe denied our shortcomings and rested on our laurels.
Today, we must declare: We wiMot rest.
We need a new sense of responsibihty for a new century. Business and community leaders
must provide jobs for those who must movefromwelfare to work. Parents and teachers must
demand the toughest standards for our schools. Young people must study hard, stay out of
trouble and leam the joy of serving others. Famihes, neighbors, communities must help parents
bring values, disciphne and hope to our children.
Each and every one of us, in our own way, must assume responsibihty ~ not just for
ourselves and our famihes, but for our neighbors and our nation.
i
Indeed, our greatest responsibility is to embrace a new community for a new century. To
succeed, we must be one nation. It will not be easy, for within our borders there are people from
every other nation on earth, of every conceivable religious and political disposition. [The global ^
economy and exploding technology continually upset old patterns of work and living and leave \
many people feeling bewildered, disconnected, vulnerable to the cruel illusion that we can lift
?
�ourselves up by keeping our neighbors down.]
Yet our rich texture of racial, religious and pohtical diversity is a Godsend for the 21st
Century world. Great rewards will come to those who can hve together, leam together, work
together, change together, create new ties that bind together. ^
i
We dare not give in to the dark impulses that lurkjnptfce far regions of the soul
everywhere. They have engulfed the hves of milhonsjaround the world. They have nearly
destroyed us in the past. They raise their heads in the present. They will tempt us again in the
future. With generosity of spirit and strength of character, we must repress them, so that all
hardworking, law-abiding men and women feel at home with one another, know they are part of
the whole and enjoy the blessings of liberty.
The great divide of race has b en our constant curse. Hatred, cloaked in the pretense of
<
rehgious or pohtical conviction, is no jetter. They all rob those who are hated, and even more,
those who hate. We must simply say to one another: If you beheve in the Constitution, the
Declaration of Independence and the Jill of Rights, you are an American.
With a new government, a new responsibihty, a new community, we can build a bridge to
the world we seek and the America we would leave to our children.
An America that remains the world's indispensable nation — standing for peace and
freedom against the dark forces of terror and destruction; leading the effort to eliminate the threat
of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons; bringing the world together through fair and open
commerce, reaping the benefits of leadership because we shoulder the burdens and pay our way.
An America that gives her children new skills for a new economy, with universal hteracy,
the highest standards for our schools, the doors of college open to all.
An America that puts the knowledge and power of the Information Age within the reach
not just of the few but of every school, every workplace, every home and every child.
An America that keeps our economy the strongest in the world, yet jealously guards its air
and water and land.
An America where everyone who can work does work, and the permanent underclass is a
thing of the past.
An America that welcomes the talents of every girl, and every boy — and helps men and
women to meet their responsibihties at home and at work.
An America that shields our childrenfromviolence, on our streets, in our schools, our
homes ~ and offers them a culture that afiBrms and teaches values, [do we need more on crime?]
�An America that maintains the best health care system in the world, extending its reach to
every single child, opening its doors to hard working people shut out today.
An America that meets its obligations to our elderly by providing them with secure
retirement and health care and making the changes necessary to preserve those benefits for
generations who follow.
An America where our pohtical system is fair and open, responding to the national
interest, not the narrow interests, increasing the participation and earning the trust of all her
citizens.
An America that restores balance to its budget, but never loses the balance of its values.
We have built and will continue to build the most prosperous nation the world has ever
known. But as we close out the millennium that saw civilization emergefromdarkness and the
century that saw evil's vilest moment crushed by good'sfinesthour, let us never forget: The
greatest progress we have made, and have yet to make, is in the human heart.
In America, we hear a higher calling. In the end, a nation is judged not by what is written
in its account books, but by what lies within its citizens' souls. If you wish to change the world, a
thousand armies are no match for the decency of the human spirit.
•"
Today I pledge all my strength and every power of my office for the work ahead. I ask the
members of Congress here to join in that pledge. The American people, [with eyes wide open,]
returned to office a President of one party and a Congress of another. Surely they did not do this
to advance the politics of petty bickering and personal destruction they plainly deplore. No, they
have asked us to debate our differences honestly, then to work together, extending to each other
an outstretched hand and the benefit of the doubt.
America demands and deserves big thingsfromus. Nothing big ever camefrombeing
small. Let us remember the timeless wisdom of Cardinal Bemadin, just weeks before the end of
his life: "It is wrong to waste the precious gift of time given to us on acrimony and division."
We must not waste the precious gift of Ihis time. For all of us are on that same journey of
life, and our journey, too, will surely come to an end. But the journey of America must go on.
And so, my fellow Americans, let us run with patience and a grateful and understanding
heart the race that is before us. With our dreams and labor, let us build our bridge to a new
century — wide enough and strong enough to carry all Americans across to the Age of Possibihty
that awaits us. Let us shape the hope of this moment into a history we can be proud of.
Let those generations whose faces we will never see, whose names we will never know,
say of us here that we led our beloved land into a new century with the American Dream alive for
�all her children. With the American promise of a more perfect union a reahty for all her people.
With America's brightflameoffreedomspreading throughout all the world.
May God "strengthen our hands for the good work ahead" ~ and always, always bless our
America.
�DRAFT 1/18/97 2:30pin
PHOTOCOPY
PRESERVATION
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J . CLINTON
INAUGURAL ADDRESS
U.S. CAPITOL
January 20, 1997
We gather at the last presidential inauguration of the 20th century|/aftdfromthe height of
this place and tliis uiumtirt, we can see clearly the duty we must-embrace.
duty
must-embrace.
rly
c
c
_— .
'-L^^Y^^
^e are-Messed with peace aud piusperityTandworld leadership unique in our history.
Events have combined to give us a prooioup moment of rare opportunity ^ moment to build an
B^m(
Age of Possibihty in a future
ever before pq* make the-fl«Sst of their
than our brilhi
more people than
ch the life of our natipn and the world.
(We must noltefthis moment slip^purgrasp.^)—» (jJe s+tuAat *»e»/aL fi\is
hi<rme«tr
oors.
tfBeTTCK.
/ / * >
Today, let us declare with one voice: As the great American triumph of the 20th Century
draws to its close, the time to prepare for the 21st Century is upon us. We wiH build at the end of
^j«fle»century, so^our children may thrive in the next. Weans well aware th^t, in our hands, rests the
eternal promise of America.
America was bom in the 18th century out of the bold conviction that we are all created
o r | i i o l | 7 a n r l m i > a i - l h y C%r\A u r i + h i n n l i n n n k l a
•inlitni T if«i liLnaAiii tl
|
'l
r i i i | | 1
-
prl
fl
«_
�Jn the 19th century,/our nation spread across the continent^reserved the union and
abolished the scourge of slavery. Then^ht exploded onto the world stage^uyturmoil and triumph,^
Y
W?-^ ^
^-whon we made this the American Century.
0
^^at^ce^i^rt*a&JeenjAmerica became the world's mightiest industrial power; won
two world wars and a long cold war against tyranny; advanced puiit and piUApuity throughout
the. woild, and time and again, extended a helping hand to milhons across the globe who longed
for the blessings of liberty.
At home, our people
great American middle class; lifted the elderly out of
poverty; provided health care and nutrition to poor children; began to restore and preserve our
QtfteML
environment; drauidliuilly iMipiUVtfd pUPlli; Utfalth^providod public education to all our children;
built the world's greatest system of umversitie^rclught breathtaking advances in science,
technology and the arts^expiored tne heavens; fed much of the earth; effected a revolution in civil
rights for African-Americans and other minorities, and extended the circle of citizenship,
opportunity and dignity to women.
Thirty-four years ago, the towering spirit whose life we celebrate today spoke to us ontrisreryinaH in words that quickened the conscience of the nation. Like a prophet of old,J>^ told
f his dream ~ that one day America would rise up and live out its creed, treating all citizens as
7
�equals, before the law and in the heart.
Teo s O llltfreaflei, Murtin Lulhu IGng, Ji., gave hia life oo that hio follow Amaricam—^
OH
HMghrttve hifl-dream.
Q
—
His dream was the American Dream; his story^the story of America, of the constant
ream
fjih^~ |§ "driven strivingjto hve out our true creed. Ourfiiturohao ovor been built on aueh dftiuiu *
vy and laboro. Dreams and labors made thisitundrod j'oaro the American Century, and it is out of
dreams and labors that we will build our new Age of Possibihty in the 21st Century.
Already, we can see itsfi«e4mes1- in the new ways we work and live
and relate to one another. Four years ago, the World Wide Web was the mystical province of
physicists; today it is a commonplace encyclopedia for millions of schoolchildren. Scientists are
decoding the blueprint of human life. Cures for our groateat-maladies seem close at hand. Already,
work has shiftedfromfarm, to factory, to computer; tomorrow, our children will work in j^BSr
^tJi4ithaWrf3\tJje^
enterprises not yet imagined.
The world is no longer divided into two hostile camps armed to destroy each other. For
thefirsttime in history, more people live under democracy than dictatorship. Growing
connections of commerce and culture give us a chance to lift the fortunes and spirits of people
everywhere.
�Just four years ago, our march to this new future seemed less certain than today. Then, we
-A
vowed to cha0|e our course, to force the spring, to renew our nation.
•Today, the renewal has begun?
Onee again^America stands ^tj^g as the world's indispensable nation. W e have reduced
V
A/c h*v* bat/** eUtJ* Urritrt a+J. buili-bnhdcty****'
©or c ^ - ^ ^ - ^ r .
the nuclear threat. <"W affiart^
i n ^ r p a ^ ^ i p m n r n n urith nllii-r milfimn tn rnnnrH Inunln A n d
from the snows of Bosnia, to the sands of the Middle East, W the oobbleatone streets ofBelfast,
to the shores of Haiti, those who love peace andfreedomlook to America for inspiration and
strength.
Vol
e-acai
-*Onee itgoin, America's economy is the strongest on earth! with new jobs for our people,
discipline in our budgeltymd inveatmonl in uui fulmi.^- Our aco^ovnK: woWitW IS: i'»ive<ta^jf
O ^
TO/A*,
>
nccr
am
e/ Y \ " k© 'fe ? family, faith and community stand at the center of our concems, as we help
^
working famihes raise their children well in a culture too often at odds with their values. Our most
urgent social problems — crime, poverty, welfare, inequahty among working people ~ all are
bending to our efforts. (We are exalting citizen^errfce and standing against the use of race,
\ religion and politics to sow hatred ancUfireaten our union, j
^
!
x
'
77f/f
tf PAif
nertouj
i\nd onoe again, we have resolved for our time a great debate over the role of
o/dfa/mstiM #r<f fo. past t*itiict ftrml &Ua, muy'*** cbiu* %
government, moving beyond tha outdatud tliLUiiLJthat paralyaod our progroogL Today we can
T
�declare: Government is not the problem. Government is not the solution. We, the American
people, are the solutionlOovernment is but our common instrument, the means our Constitution
provides for us to meet the challenges of thts^new age together.
As our times change, so our government must change. We need a new government for a
new century, ^government that is smaller and does more with less^A government humble
enough that it-does nufliji lirsolve aU our problems for us, but strong enough to give us the tools
to solve our problems for ourselves^And confident onougli to mahitahi uur woild leadci'ship.——
5«
Where it can stand up for our values and interests in the world, and where it can stand up for the
values and interests of Americans at home, j^vm^ them the power to make a real difference in
their everyday lives, then our government should do more, not less. In this way, all Americans will
0l
ncc
have/not a guarantee, butX M > to DuiiJbetter lives.
,
_
Beyond that ohanoosmy feUow citizens, thefutwc is uptoyeu. Om Foundeis weU
*—
*
underotood thai the pitf^ei vatiun uf uui libeity and our uilluil depuidj upon the icjpuiiAibih^ uf
>o*>>
^
V 7
-
all cituiGno to ctriva ceasfilf ssly fnr thp sake of our nation. [As Benjamin Franklin said, they gave—^
u^^a-repuWiGHfyeu-Gankeep-it—}
For more than 200 years, Americans have kept our republic. To b^sure, we have had our
troubles and backsliding, but only when we denied our shortcojphigsand rested on our laurels.
Today, we must declare: We will not rest.
�Every adult must teach our childrenrightfromwrong. Every child must have an adult who cares
what they do. Every American, young and old, must take responsibility to give something back to
their community and their country.
We need a new sense of responsibility for a new century
arents and teachers must
livefenU*. roUoj
hard, stayodrof
must^pfovide jobs for those whomu^t movefromwelfare to,
land the toukhest standards for our schools. Yq
^J?
S and community leaders
yC^ftravbk: and leam the joy of serving others^Fomilioo, neighbors, oommuiiUiu must help parents
bring ynlnn, di'iriplinir and hnptt tn nur-flhildrpn
Each and every one of us, in our own way, must assume responsibihty — not just for
ourselves and our famihes, but for our neighbors and our nation.
J
Indeed, our greatest responsibility is to embrace a new community for a new century. To
succeed, we must be one nation. It will not be easy, for within our borders there are people from
every other nation on earth, of every conceivable religious and pohtical disposition. [The global
economy and exploding technology continually upset old patterns of work and living and leave
many people feeling bewildered, disconnected, vulnerable to the cruel illusion that we can lift
6
I ourselves up by keeping our neighbors down ]
Yet ourrichtexture of racial, religious and political diversity is a Godsend for the 21st
Century world. Great rewards will come to those who can live together, leam together, work
together, change together, create new ties that bind together.
We dare not give in to the dark impulses that lurk in the far regions of the soul
everywhere. They have engulfed the lives of millions around the world. They have nearly
�destroyed us in the past. They raise their heads in the present. They will tempt us again in the
future. With generosity of spirit and strength of character, we must represSmem, so that all
hardworking, law-abiding men and women feel at home with on^another, know they are part of
the whole and enjoy the blessings of liberty.
The great divide of race has beejmxr constant curse. Hatred, cloaked in the pretense of
religious or political convictionjsno better. They all rob those who are hated, and even more,
those who hate. We must^imply say to one another: If you beheve in the Constitution, the
Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, you are an American.
With a new government, a new responsibihty, a new^cpmmunity, we can build a bridge to
the world we seek and the America we would leave to our children.
^An America that remains the world's indispensable nation ~ standing for peace and
freedom against the dark forces of terror and destruction; leading the effort to eliminate the threat
Is
of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons; bringing the world together through fair and open
commerce, reaping the benefits of leadership because we shoulder the burdens and pay our way.
^An America that gives her children new skills for a new economy, with universal hteracy,
the highest standards for our schools, the doors of coUege open to all.
An America that puts the knowledge and power of the Information Age within the reach
�In America, the chahenges of one are the challenges of all.
Indeed, our greatest responsibihty is to embrace a new community for a new century. To
succeed, we must be one America.
We dare not give in to the dark impulses that lurk in the far regions of the soul
everywhere. Theyjiate^^ggulfed^the hves of millions around the world. They have nearly
destroyed us in the past. They raise theiij heads in the present. They will tempt us again in the
futureiVhe great divide of race has been our constant curse. Hatred, cloaked in the pretense of
rehgious or pohtical conviction, is no better. They ^dl rob those who are hated and those who
With generosity of spirit and strength of character, we must repress those impulses, so that
all hardworking, law-abiding ptppl^feel at home with one another and|know they are part of the
whole. Ourrichtexture of racial, religious and political diversity is^i t aWesging,
for the 21st Century world. Great rewards will come to those who can live together, leam
together, work together, change together, create new ties that bind^together.
Wemust simply saytoone another: If^jF^oriHrnrd^Faise-your^childi^iLandmeet your
esponsibilities, you are living the spiritjafAmerica. If you believe in the Constitution, the
Declaration of Independence andthe Bill of Rights, you are an American.
�not just of tbWew but of every school, every workplace, every home and every child.
An America that keeps our economy the strongest in the world, yet jealously guards its air
and water and land.
> \
Mvd- reGsms uelfore MaJr^c CAM. ^ r l c , does odork, o^g. 4hdJ> lifts
An America Wiitie evtijiunt who oan -work dees work, and the pefmanent-undorslaoa ia a
v i b r a n t nt IdJ&L c&ou&a.
An America that welcomes the talents of every girl, and every boy — and helps men and
women to meet their responsibihties at home and at work.
An America that shields our childrenfromviolence, on our streets, in our schools, our
homes — and offers them a culture that affirms and teaches/values, [daive mod more on crime?]
An America that maintains the best health care system in the world, extending its reach to
everysifjgle child, opening its doors to hard working people shut out today.
,3
An America that meets its obligations to our elderly by providing them with secure
retirement and health care and making the changes necessary to preserve those benefits for
generations who follow.
An America whore-our political system is fair and open, responding to the national
interest, not the narrow interests, increasing the participation and earning the trust of all her
�citizens.
An America that restores balance to its budget, but never loses the balance of its values.
We have built and will continue to build the most prosperous nation the world has ever
; from-dgrknessand Ihe—
e
known. But as we»
"Vcentury^harsaw^vil's vilest momentxmshe<ihv_gQQd!s-finest hour, let us never forget: The
greatest progress we have made, and have yet to make, is in the human^all^^t^^AA ZJ^C^
Img. In the end, a nation is judged not by what is written
//vcs
fopSU's
in its account books, butbyjadiat •He^within its eittzeip,' souls. If you wish lo change tligworld, a
thousand armies are no match for the decency of the human spirit.
Today I pledge all my strength and every power of my office for the work ahead. I ask the
members of Congress here to join in that pledge. The American people, $*ftK^es ^d^pfep^^
returned to office a President of one party and a Congress of another. Surely the^jiijinot do this
1
to advance the politics of petty bickering and personal destmaienuhiy yltiMy dCjjfof^ No, they
hQ
:
have asked us to debate our differences honestly, thea-to work t"r'*t - V"+'"^"0 *
n
nthfT
an-uutauaUiui hand u d the b n 11 uf the duubt-—^
n
ee1
own
i-tfrAt&r
America demands and deserves big thingsfromus. Nothing big ever camefrombeing
small. Let us remember the Jjafete® wisdom of Cardinal Bemadin, just weeks before the end of
�his life: "It is wrong to waste the precious gift of time given to us on acrimony and division."
We must not waste the precious gift of this time. For all of us are on that same journey of
life, and our journey, too, will surely come to an end. But the journey of America must go on.
ra
l1
*~~^ And co, my fellow Americans, lot us run with patience ^^L? g lyfl ^'"iTrnHersTanding
hnrTthn n r t thnt in hrfnrn « With our driinmr ind Inhnr, J^t us build our bridge to a new
century ~ wide enough and strong enough to carry all Americans)p»fow lu I h c ^ ^ j f T u ^ M i ^ - - ^ - s^tet us shape thehope of this moment into a history*^ can
bTp^ud^^^-^
^fce^lhose generations whose faces we will never see, whose names we will never know,
say of us here that we led our beloved land into a new century with the American Dream alive for
all her children. With the American promise of a more perfect union a reahty for all her people.
With America's brightflameoffreedomspreading throughout all the world.
May God "strengthen our hands for the good work ahead" ~ and always, always bless our
America.
10
�3
�Draft 1/18/97 11pm
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
INAUGURAL ADDRESS
U.S. CAPITOL
JANUARY 20,1997
We gather at the last Presidential inauguration of the 20th Century. From the height of
this place and time, let us resolve to build at the end of this century, so that our children may
thrive in the next. Events have combined to give us a moment of rare opportunity; we must make
it ours. For in our hands rests the eternal promise of America.
America was bom in the 18th Century out of the bold conviction that we are all created
equal. In the 19th century our nation spread across the continent, preserved the union, and
abohshed the scourge of slavery. Then, in turmoil and triumph, it exploded on the world stage to
make this the American Century.
America became the world's mightiest industrial power; won two world wars and a long
cold war against tyranny; and time and again reached out a helping hand to milhons across the
globe who longed for the blessings of liberty.
At home Americans produced the great middle class; longer hves and secure old age;
schools open to all children; atomic energy, the computer, and the space program; a revolution in
civil rights and an extended circle of citizenship, opportunity, and dignity for women.
Now, a new century is just four years away. Aheady we can see its [fine lines] — in the
new ways we work and hve and relate to one another. Four years ago, the World Wide Web was
the mystical province of physicists; today it is a commonplace encyclopedia for milhons of
schoolchildren. Scientists are decoding the blueprint of human hfe. Cures for our most feared
illnesses seem close at hand. Aheady, work has shiftedfromfarm, to factory, to computer;
tomorrow, our children will work in enterprises not yet imagined.
The world is no longer divided into two hostile camps armed to destroy each other. For
thefirsttime in history, more people hve under democracy than dictatorship. Growing
connections of commerce and culture give us a chance to lift the fortunes and spirits of people
everywhere.
Just four years ago, our march to this new future seemed less certain than today. It was a
difficult time, without a clear course. We vowed to set that course, to force the spring, to renew
our nation.
Today, America stands alone as the world's indispensable nation. Today, America's
economy is the strongest on earth. Once again, we are building stronger famihes, safer streets and
a cleaner environment.
�And once again, we have resolved for our time, a great debate over the role of
government, [false choices]. Today we can declare: Government is not the problem. Government
is not the solution. We, the American people, are the solution. Self-government is simply the
means our Constitution provides for us to meet our common challenges. Its role must be defined
in every age by what is necessary to meet those challenges.
As times change, so government must change. We need a new government for a new
century. A government humble enough not to try to solve all our problems for us, but strong
enough to give us the tools to our problems for ourselves. A government that is smaller and does
more with less. Where it can stand up for our values and interests in the world and where, at
home, it give Americans the power to make a real difference in their everyday hves, then our
government should do more, not less. In this way, all Americans will have a real opportunity ~
not a guarantee ~ but a real opportunity to build better hves.
Beyond that, my fellow citizens, the future is up to us. Our Founders well understood that
the preservation of our liberty and our union depends upon responsible citizenship.
We need a new sense of responsibihty for a new century. There is work to do out there,
work that government cannot do. There are streets to be made safe. There are jobs to be created
for people to movefromwelfare to work, higher standards for our schools, hard study by our
children, community service by our citizens, young people to be kept off drugs.
Each and every one of us, in our own way, must assume responsibihty ~ not just for
ourselves and our famihes, but for ourjieighbors and our nation.
Indeed, our greatest responsibility is to embrace a new spirit of community for a new
century. To succeed, we must be one America.
We dare not give in to the dark impulses that lurk in the far regions of the soul
everywhere. They torment the lives of millions around the world. They have nearly destroyed us
in the past. They raise their ugly heads in the present. They will tempt us again in the future.
The divide of race has been our constant curse. Hatred, cloaked in the pretense of
religious or political conviction, is no better. They rob both those who are hated, and those who
hate, of what they might become. With generosity of spirit and strength of character, we must
repress those impulses, so that all hardworking, law abiding men and women feel at home with
one another, know they are part of the whole, and enjoy the blessings of liberty.
Our rich texture of racial, religious and political diversity is, in fact, a Godsend in the 21st
Century world. Great rewards will come to those who can hve together, leam together, work
together, change together, create new ties that bind together.
With a new kind of government, a new sense of responsibility, a new spirit of community,
we can build a bridge to the world we seek and the America we would leave to our children.
�Let us build an America that remains the world's indispensable nation - standing for
peace andfreedomagainst the dark forces of terror and destruction; leading the effort to eliminate
the threat of nuclear chemical and biological weapons; bringing the world together through fair
and open commerce; reaping the benefits of leadership because we shoulder the burden and pay
our way.
Let us build an America that gives her children new skills for a new economy, with
universal literacy, the highest standards for our schools, the doors of college open to all.
Let us build an America that puts the knowledge and power of the Information Age within
reach of not the few but of every school, every workplace, every home and every child.
Let us build an America that keeps our economy the strongest in the world, yet jealously
guards its air and water and land.
Let us build an America where everyone who can work does work, and the permanent
underclass is lifted into a vibrant, growing middle class.
An America that values the talents of every girl and every boy, and helps men and women
to meet their responsibilities at home and at work.
Let us build an America that shields our childrenfromviolence on our streets, in our
schools, in our homes, and offers them a culture that aflBrms and teaches timeless values.
Let us build an America that maintains the best health cares system in the world, extending
its reach to every child, opening its doors to hard working people shut out today.
Let us build an America that meets its obligations ~ by providing our seniors with secure
retirement and health care, and by making the reforms necessary to preserve those benefits for
generations who follow.
Let us build an America here our pohtical system is fair and open, responding to the
national interest, not the narrow interests, increasing the participation and earning the trust of all
her citizens.
Let us build an America that restores balance to its budget, but never loses the balance of
its values.
Let us build an America that is always moving toward its promise of a more perfect union.
Thirty-four years ago, the man whose hfe we celebrate today spoke to usfromthe other
end of this mall, in words that quicken the conscience of a nation. Like a prophet of old, he told
of his dream that one day America would rise up and treat all its citizens as equals before the law,
and in the heart. Martin Luther King's dream was the American Dream. His story is America's
story: the constant striving to live out our true creed. Our history has been built on such dreams
�and labors. And it is out of dreams and labors that we will redeem the promise of America in the
21st Century.
We have built and will continue to build the most prosperous and powerful nation the
world has ever known. But let us never forget: the greatest progress we have made, and have yet
to make, is in the human heart. In the end, all the world's wealth and a thousand armies are no
match for the strength and decency of the human spirit.
Today, I pledge all my strength and every power of my office for the work ahead. I ask
the members of Congress here to join in that pledge. The American people returned to office a
President of one party and a Congress of another. Surely they did not do this to advance the
pohtics of petty bickering and extreme partisanship they plainly deplore. No, they expect us to
reconcile our differences and work together for them.
America demands and deserves big thingsfromus. Nothing big ever camefrombeing
small. Let us remember the wisdom of Cardinal Bemadin, just weeks before the end of his life:
"It is wrong to waste the precious gift of time given to us on acrimony and division."
We must not waste the precious gift of Ihis time. For all of us are on that same journey of
life, and our journey, too, will surely come to an end. But the journey of America must go on.
And so, my fellow Americans, with patience, gratitude, and dedication, let us shape the
hope of this moment into a history of which we can be proud. Let us build our bridge, wide and
strong enough to carry ah Americans across to a new American century.
May those generations whose faces we will never see, whose names we will never know,
say of us here that we led our beloved land into a new century with the American Dream alive for
all her children. With the American promise of a more perfect union a reahty for all her people.
With America's bright flame offreedomspreading throughout all the world.
May God "strengthen our hands for the good work ahead" ~ and always, always bless our
America.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Michael Waldman
Description
An account of the resource
<p>Michael Waldman was Assistant to the President and Director of Speechwriting from 1995-1999. His responsibilities were writing and editing nearly 2,000 speeches, which included four State of the Union speeches and two Inaugural Addresses. From 1993 -1995 he served as Special Assistant to the President for Policy Coordination.</p>
<p>The collection generally consists of copies of speeches and speech drafts, talking points, memoranda, background material, correspondence, reports, handwritten notes, articles, clippings, and presidential schedules. A large volume of this collection was for the State of the Union speeches. Many of the speech drafts are heavily annotated with additions or deletions. There are a lot of articles and clippings in this collection.</p>
<p>Due to the size of this collection it has been divided into two segments. Use links below for access to the individual segments:<br /><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=43&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=2006-0469-F+Segment+1">Segment One</a><br /><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=43&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=2006-0469-F+Segment+2">Segment Two</a></p>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Michael Waldman
Office of Speechwriting
Date
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1993-1999
Identifier
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2006-0469-F
Extent
The size or duration of the resource.
Segment One contains 1071 folders in 72 boxes.
Segment Two contains 868 folders in 66 boxes.
Provenance
A statement of any changes in ownership and custody of the resource since its creation that are significant for its authenticity, integrity, and interpretation. The statement may include a description of any changes successive custodians made to the resource.
Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
Format
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Adobe Acrobat Document
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
paper
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
1997 Inaugural - Drafts [1]
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Office of Speechwriting
Michael Waldman
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
Box 60
<a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/36404"> Collection Finding Aid</a>
<a href="https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7763296">National Archives Catalog Description</a>
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
2006-0469-F Segment 2
Provenance
A statement of any changes in ownership and custody of the resource since its creation that are significant for its authenticity, integrity, and interpretation. The statement may include a description of any changes successive custodians made to the resource.
White House Staff and Office Files
Publisher
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William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
Format
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Adobe Acrobat Document
Medium
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Preservation-Reproduction-Reference
Date Created
Date of creation of the resource.
6/3/2015
Source
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7763296
42-t-7763296-20060469F-Seg2-060-005-2015