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美国历届总统就职演说President1stTerm2ndTerm3rdTerm4thTermGeorgeWashington17891793JohnAdams1797ThomasJefferson18011805JamesMadison18091813JamesMonroe18171821JohnQuincyAdams1825AndrewJackson18291833MartinVanBuren1837WilliamHenryHarrison1841JamesPolk1845ZacharyTaylor1849FranklinPierce1853JamesBuchanan1857AbrahamLincoln18611865UlyssesS.Grant18691873RutherfordB.Hayes1877JamesA.Garfield1881GroverCleveland18851893BenjaminHarrison1889WilliamMcKinley18971901TheodoreRoosevelt1905WilliamHowardTaft1909WoodrowWilson19131917WarrenG.Harding1921CalvinCoolidge1925HerbertHoover1929FranklinD.Roosevelt1933193719411945HarryS.Truman1949DwightD.Eisenhower19531957JohnF.Kennedy1961LyndonBainesJohnson1965RichardMilhousNixon19691973JimmyCarter1977RonaldReagan19811985GeorgeBush1989BillClinton19931997GeorgeW.Bush2001FirstInauguralAddressofGeorgeWashingtonTHECITYOFNEWYORKTHURSDAY,APRIL30,1789Fellow-CitizensoftheSenateandoftheHouseofRepresentatives:Amongthevicissitudesincidenttolifenoeventcouldhavefilledmewithgreateranxietiesthanthatofwhichthenotificationwastransmittedbyyourorder,andreceivedonthe14thdayofthepresentmonth.Ontheonehand,IwassummonedbymyCountry,whosevoiceIcanneverhearbutwithvenerationandlove,fromaretreatwhichIhadchosenwiththefondestpredilection,and,inmyflatteringhopes,withanimmutabledecision,astheasylumofmydecliningyears--aretreatwhichwasrenderedeverydaymorenecessaryaswellasmoredeartomebytheadditionofhabittoinclination,andoffrequentinterruptionsinmyhealthtothegradualwastecommittedonitbytime.Ontheotherhand,themagnitudeanddifficultyofthetrusttowhichthevoiceofmycountrycalledme,beingsufficienttoawakeninthewisestandmostexperiencedofhercitizensadistrustfulscrutinyintohisqualifications,couldnotbutoverwhelmwithdespondenceonewho(inheritinginferiorendowmentsfromnatureandunpracticedinthedutiesofciviladministration)oughttobepeculiarlyconsciousofhisowndeficiencies.InthisconflictofemotionsallIdareaveristhatithasbeenmyfaithfulstudytocollectmydutyfromajustappreciationofeverycircumstancebywhichitmightbeaffected.AllIdarehopeisthatif,inexecutingthistask,Ihavebeentoomuchswayedbyagratefulremembranceofformerinstances,orbyanaffectionatesensibilitytothistranscendentproofoftheconfidenceofmyfellow-citizens,andhavethencetoolittleconsultedmyincapacityaswellasdisinclinationfortheweightyanduntriedcaresbeforeme,myerrorwillbepalliatedbythemotiveswhichmisleadme,anditsconsequencesbejudgedbymycountrywithsomeshareofthepartialityinwhichtheyoriginated.SuchbeingtheimpressionsunderwhichIhave,inobediencetothepublicsummons,repairedtothepresentstation,itwouldbepeculiarlyimpropertoomitinthisfirstofficialactmyferventsupplicationstothatAlmightyBeingwhorulesovertheuniverse,whopresidesinthecouncilsofnations,andwhoseprovidentialaidscansupplyeveryhumandefect,thatHisbenedictionmayconsecratetothelibertiesandhappinessofthepeopleoftheUnitedStatesaGovernmentinstitutedbythemselvesfortheseessentialpurposes,andmayenableeveryinstrumentemployedinitsadministrationtoexecutewithsuccessthefunctionsallottedtohischarge.IntenderingthishomagetotheGreatAuthorofeverypublicandprivategood,Iassuremyselfthatitexpressesyoursentimentsnotlessthanmyown,northoseofmyfellow-citizensatlargelessthaneither.NopeoplecanbeboundtoacknowledgeandadoretheInvisibleHandwhichconductstheaffairsofmenmorethanthoseoftheUnitedStates.Everystepbywhichtheyhaveadvancedtothecharacterofanindependentnationseemstohavebeendistinguishedbysometokenofprovidentialagency;andintheimportantrevolutionjustaccomplishedinthesystemoftheirunitedgovernmentthetranquildeliberationsandvoluntaryconsentofsomanydistinctcommunitiesfromwhichtheeventhasresultedcannotbecomparedwiththemeansbywhichmostgovernmentshavebeenestablishedwithoutsomereturnofpiousgratitude,alongwithanhumbleanticipationofthefutureblessingswhichthepastseemtopresage.Thesereflections,arisingoutofthepresentcrisis,haveforcedthemselvestoostronglyonmymindtobesuppressed.Youwilljoinwithme,Itrust,inthinkingthattherearenoneundertheinfluenceofwhichtheproceedingsofanewandfreegovernmentcanmoreauspiciouslycommence.BythearticleestablishingtheexecutivedepartmentitismadethedutyofthePresidenttorecommendtoyourconsiderationsuchmeasuresasheshalljudgenecessaryandexpedient.ThecircumstancesunderwhichInowmeetyouwillacquitmefromenteringintothatsubjectfurtherthantorefertothegreatconstitutionalcharterunderwhichyouareassembled,andwhich,indefiningyourpowers,designatestheobjectstowhichyourattentionistobegiven.Itwillbemoreconsistentwiththosecircumstancesandfarmorecongenialwiththefeelingswhichactuateme,tosubstitute,inplaceofarecommendationofparticularmeasures,thetributethatisduetothetalents,therectitude,andthepatriotismwhichadornthecharactersselectedtodeviseandadoptthem.InthesehonorablequalificationsIbeholdthesurestpledgesthatasononesidenolocalprejudicesorattachments,noseparateviewsnorpartyanimosities,willmisdirectthecomprehensiveandequaleyewhichoughttowatchoverthisgreatassemblageofcommunitiesandinterests,so,onanother,thatthefoundationofournationalpolicywillbelaidinthepureandimmutableprinciplesofprivatemorality,andthepreeminen