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For an American history nerd like myself, events like inaugurations, elections, & significant events are pretty much my idea of Oscar night or the Super Bowl. I know that politicians lie, break promises & are full of flaws like the rest of us. But something about these important events make me proud to be an American, and my cynicism about the current state of the Union gives way to hope.
Unfortunately I had to work today, and was unable to watch the Inaugural address (thank God for Twitter), but after seeing the tweets & finally getting to read the transcript of his address, I'm inspired.
The following snippets inspire me & give me hope. I know this country has problems and will need more than pretty words to make the changes necessary, but I hope other people are as inspired by his words as I am and that together we can all bring about some of the changes that need to be made.
Each time we gather to inaugurate a president, we bear witness to the enduring strength of our Constitution. We affirm the promise of our democracy. We recall that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names. What makes us exceptional – what makes us American – is our allegiance to an idea, articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
