upon the meaning that everyone is included. it may be inherent dignity and in alienable rights of every warming, a man, boy, and girl be honored. make all your people, especially -- and may all your people, especially the least of these flourished in our blessed nation. 150 years after the emancipation proclamation and 50 years after the march on washington we celebrate the. spiritof our ancestors. it is a nation of on bormann hopes and a history of this enfranchised folks to the union. -- to the expression of a more perfect union. we ask that where our past was riddled by pangs of despair and depression, we ask for your guidance toward the light of delivery and that the vision of -- of deliverance and that the vision of those who came before us and in dreamed of this day, that we recognize their vision still inspire us. they are unseen by the naked eye. all around us, thankful that they are living was not in vain. for every mountain, you gave us the strength to climb. your grace continues that climb for america and the world. we now stand beneath the shadow of the nation's capital whose golden dome reflects the unity and democracy of one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all. approximately 4 miles from where we are assembled the hallowed remains of men and women rest in arlington cemetery. they who believed fought and died for this country. may their spirits and use our being to work together with -- in fuse our being to work together with respect, and in enabling us to continue to build this nation and in so doing we send a message to the world that we are strong, fierce and our strength. -- in our strength and ever vigilant and our pursuit of freedom. may you a grant as the will to act graciously. -- courageously but cautiously when confront -- when confronted with danger but prudently but deliberately when challenged by adversity. please continue to bless these efforts, to lead by example in consideration in favor of the diversity of our people. bless our families. all across this nation. we thank you for this opportunity of prayer to strengthen us through the journeys of the days that lie ahead. we invoke the prayers of our grandfathers who taught us to pray. -- grandmothers who taught us to prygod make me a blessing. make the. -- let their spirit of old. there is something with any man -- within me that holds the reins. there's something with any that -- there is something with in need that banishes pain. there is something with in me i cannot explain. all i know is that there is something within. there is something went in. -- there is something within. in jesus' name and the name of all who are wholly and right, we pray. amen. [applause] >> i am pleased to introduce the award winning tabernacle choir, the brooklyn tabernacle choir, to sing "battle hymn of the republic." [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ glory, glory, hallelujah! glory, glory, hallelujah! glory, glory, hallelujah! his truth is marching on. mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the lord. he is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored. he hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword. his truth is marching on. glory, glory hallelujah. glory, glory hallelujah. glory, glory hallelujah -- his truth is marching on. his truth is marching on. ♪ with the glory in his bosom that transforms you and me. ♪ ♪ i have seen him in the watch- fires of a hundred circling camps, they have builded him an altar in the evening dews and damps. glory, glory -- hialeah. ♪ -- hallelujah. glory, glory hallelujah -- his truth is marching on. marching on. glory, glory hallelujah glory glory hallelujah glory, glory hallelujah his truth is marching on. ♪ ♪ >> please join me in welcoming my colleague and my friend, the senator from tennessee, the hon. lamar alexander. [applause] >> mr. president, mr. vice president, ladies and gentlemen. -- the late alex haley, the author of "roots, "lived by thesethe late lived his life by these six words, find the good and praise it. today we praise the american tradition of transferring or reaffirming the immense power and the inauguration of the president of the united states. we do this in a peaceful and orderly way. there is no insurrection. this is a moment when millions stop and watch. a moment most of us always will remember. ours a moment's that is most conspicuous and enduring symbol of the american democracy. how remarkable that this has survive for so long. and such a complex country, when so much power is at stake. this freedom to vote for our leaders. and the restraint to respect the results. last year a tour guide told me at mount vernon that our first president, and george washington once posed this question, what is most experiment? in washington answered his own question. in this way -- not the election of the first president but the election of its second president the peaceful transfer of power. today we celebrate the 57th inauguration of the american president. find a good and praise it. it is my honor to introduce sonia sotomayor. the associate justice of the supreme court. [applause] for the purpose of administering the oath of office to the vice president. will everyone please stand? >> mr. vice president, please raise your right hand and repeat after me. i do solemnly swear that i will support and defend the constitution of the united states. domestic. that i will bear true faith and allegiance to the same but i take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose that i will faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which i am about to enter. >> of the duties of the office of which i'm about to enter. >> so help me god. >> and so help me god. >> >> congratulations. [applause] ♪ ♪ >> >> ♪ >> it is my pleasure to introduced james taylor. renowned musical artists. . ♪ >> oh beautiful for spacious skies for amber waves of grain for purple mountains majesty above the fruited plain america america god shed his grace on thee and crown they good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea from sea to shining sea ♪ [applause] >> it is my honor to present the chief justice of the united states john g roberts junior. everyone please rise. who will administer the presidential oath of office. everyone please rise. >> raise your right hand and repeat after me -- >> i, barack hussein obama, do solemnly swear -- >> that i will faithfully execute -- >> that i will faithfully execute -- the united states -- >> the office of president of the united states -- >> and will, to the best of my -- ability -- >> preserve, protect, and defend -- the constitution of the united states united states -- >> so help me god. president. [applause] ♪ ♪ [hail to the chief] ♪ ♪ [cannon fire] [21-guin salute] [21-gun salute] >> ladies and gentlemen, it is my great privilege and distinct honor to introduce the 44th president of the united states of america, barack h. obama. [applause] [applause] [applause] >> thank you. [applause] >> thank you so much. >> vice president biden, mr. chief justice, members of the united states congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens -- 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." today we continue a never- ending journey to bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time. for history tells us that while these truths may be self- evident, they've never been self-executing; that while freedom is a gift from god, it must be secured by his people here on earth. (applause) the patriots of 1776 did not fight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few or the rule of a mob. they gave to us a republic, a government of, and by, and for the people, entrusting each generation to keep safe our founding creed. and for more than two hundred years, we have. through blood drawn by lash and blood drawn by sword, we learned that no union founded on the principles of liberty and equality could survive half- slave and half-free. we made ourselves anew, and vowed to move forward together. together, we determined that a modern economy requires railroads and highways to speed travel and commerce, schools and colleges to train our workers. together, we discovered that a free market only thrives when there are rules to ensure competition and fair play. together, we resolved that a great nation must care for the vulnerable, and protect its people from life's worst hazards and misfortune. through it all, we have never relinquished our skepticism of central authority, nor have we succumbed to the fiction that all society's ills can be cured through government alone. our celebration of initiative and enterprise, our insistence on hard work and personal responsibility, these are constants in our character. but we have always understood that when times change, so must we; that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges; that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action. for the american people can no more meet the demands of today's world by acting alone than american soldiers could have met the forces of fascism or communism with muskets and militias. no single person can train all the math and science teachers we'll need to equip our children for the future, or build the roads and networks and research labs that will bring new jobs and businesses to our shores. now, more than ever, we must do these things together, as one nation and one people. (applause) this generation of americans has been tested by crises that steeled our resolve and proved our resilience. a decade of war is now ending. (applause) an economic recovery has begun.(applause) america's possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands: youth and drive; diversity and openness; an endless capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention. my fellow americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it -- so long as we seize it together. (applause) for we, the people, understand that our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it. (applause) we believe that america's prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle class. we know that america thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their work; when the wages of honest labor liberate families from the brink of hardship. we are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else, because she is an american; she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes of god but also in our own. (applause) we understand that outworn programs are inadequate to the needs of our time. so we must harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revamp our tax code, reform our schools, and empower our citizens with the skills they need to work harder, learn more, reach higher. but while the means will change, our purpose endures: a nation that rewards the effort and determination of every single american. that is what this moment requires. that is what will give real meaning to our creed. we, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity. we must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit. but we reject the belief that america must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future.(applause) for we remember the lessons of our past, when twilight years were spent in poverty and parents of a child with a disability had nowhere to turn. we do not believe that in this country freedom is reserved for the lucky, or happiness for the few. we recognize that no matter how responsibly we live our lives, any one of us at any time may face a job loss, or a sudden illness, or a home swept away in a terrible storm. the commitments we make to each other through medicare and medicaid and social security, these things do not sap our initiative, they strengthen us. (applause) they do not make us a nation of takers; they free us to take the risks that make this country great. (applause) we, the people, still believe that our obligations as americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity. we will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. (applause) some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires and crippling drought and more powerful storms. the path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. but america cannot resist this transition, we must lead it. we cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries, we must claim its promise. that's how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure -- our forests and waterways, our crop lands and snow-capped peaks. that is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by god. that's what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared. we, the people, still believe that enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war. (applause) our brave men and women in uniform, tempered by the flames of battle, are unmatched in skill and courage. (applause) our citizens, seared by the memory of those we have lost, know too well the price that is paid for liberty. the knowledge of their sacrifice will keep us forever vigilant against those who would do us harm. but we are also heirs to those who won the peace and not just the war; who turned sworn enemies into the surest of friends -- and we must carry those lessons into this time as well. we will defend our people and uphold our values through strength of arms and rule of law. we will show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully - not because we are naïve about the dangers we face, but because engagement can more durably lift suspicion and fear. (applause) america will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe. and we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad, for no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation. we will support democracy from asia to africa, from the americas to the middle east, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom. and we must be a source of hope to the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice - not out of mere charity, but because peace in our time requires the constant advance of those principles that our common creed describes: tolerance and opportunity, human dignity and justice. we, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths - that all of us are created equal - is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through seneca falls, and selma, and stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a king proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on earth. (applause) it is now our generation's task to carry on what those pioneers began. for our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. (applause) our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law - (applause) -- for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. (applause) our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote. (applause) our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see america as a land of opportunity -- (applause) -- until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country. (applause) our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of detroit to the hills of appalachia, to the quiet lanes of newtown, know that they are cared for and cherished and always safe from harm. that is our generation's task -- to make these words, these rights, these values of life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness real for every american. being true to our founding documents does not require us to agree on every contour of life. it does not mean we all define liberty in exactly the same way or follow the same precise path to happiness. progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time, but it does require us to act in our time. (applause) for now decisions are upon us and we cannot afford delay. we cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate. (applause) we must act, knowing that our work will be imperfect. we must act, knowing that today's victories will be only partial and that it will be up to those who stand here in four years and 40 years and 400 years hence to advance the timeless spirit once conferred to us in a spare philadelphia hall. my fellow americans, the oath i have sworn before you today, like the one recited by others who serve in this capitol, was an oath to god and country, not party or faction. and we must faithfully execute that pledge during the duration of our service. but the words i spoke today are not so different from the oath that is taken each time a soldier signs up for duty or an immigrant realizes her dream. my oath is not so different from the pledge we all make to the flag that waves above and that fills our hearts with pride. they are the words of citizens and they represent our greatest hope. you and i, as citizens, have the power to set this country's course. you and i, as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time -- not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals. (applause) let us, each of us, now embrace with solemn duty and awesome joy what is our lasting birthright. with common effort and common purpose, with passion and dedication, let us answer the call of history and carry into an uncertain future that precious light of freedom. thank you. god bless you, and may he forever bless these united states of america. (applause) [applause] [applause] [applause] >> at this time please me in welcoming recording artist calais clarkson company by the united states marine band. -- kelly clarkson. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> my country it is of the sweet land of liberty sing.e i san land where my father died land of the pilgrims' pride from every mountainside let freedom ring ♪ ♪ ♪ suite freedoms' song. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ to thee we sing. ♪ ♪ ♪ [applause] [applause] >> wow! [laughter] our next distinguished guest is the poet richard blanco will share with us or is he has composed for this occasion. [applause] >> mr. president, mr. vice president, america - one today. one son rose on us today, a candle over our shores, peeking over the smokeys, greeting the faces of the great lakes, spreading a simple truth across the great plains and charging across the rockies. one light waking up rooftops under each one a story told by our silent gestures moving across windows. my faith, your face, millions of faces in mourning mayors, each one yawning to life, crescendoing into our day, the pencil yellow school buses, the rhythm of traffic lights, fruit stands, apples, limes, and oranges a raid like rainbows begging our praise. silver trucks and heavy with oil or paper, bricks or milk, steaming over highways alongside us on our way to clean tables, read ledgers, or save lives, to teach geometry, or ran up groceries as my mother did for 20 years so i could write this poem for all of us today. all of us, as vital as the one light we moved through, the same light on blackboards with lessons for the day, equations to solve, history to question, "i have a dream"that will keep dreaming or the impossible vocabulary of sorrow that won't explain the and the desks of 20 children marked absent today and forever. many prayers but one light breathing color into stained- glass windows, life into the faces of bronze statues, warmth onto the steps of our museums and park benches as mothers watched children slide into the day. one ground, our ground, reaching us to every stalk of corn, every head of the wheat some buy sweat and hands, hands gleaning or planting would nell's on deserts' and held talks to keep us warm, hands digging trenches, routing pipes and cables, hands as warm as my father's cutting sugar cane so my brother and i could have books and shoes. the dust of farms and deserts', cities and planes mangled by one wind, our breath - breathe. hear it through the days gorges din of haunting cabs, buses launching down avenues, the symphony of footsteps, guitars, and screeching subways, the unexpected songbird on your clothes line. here squeaky playground swings, trains whistling or whispers across cafe tables, hear doors we open each day for each other saying "hello, shalom, bongiorno, howdy,mnamaste or buenos dias in the language my mother taught me and every language spoken into one of wind, carrying our lives without prejudice as these words break from my lips. one sky since the appellations claimed their majesty and the mississippi and colorado worked their way to the sea. think the work of our hands weaving steel into bridges, finishing one more report for the boss on time, stitching another wound or uniform, the first brush stroke and a portrait for the last floor of the freedom tower jutting into the sky that yields to our resilience. one sky, toward which we sometimes lift our eyes tired from work, some days guessing at the weather of our lives. some days giving thanks for a love that love you back. sometimes praising and mother who knew how to give or for giving a father who could not get what you wanted. we head home for the gloss of rain or weight of snow or the aplomb blush of dusk but always, always, home, always under once one sky, our sky, and tapping on the window of one country, all of us facing the stars,hope, a new constellation, waiting for us to map it, waiting for us to name it together. [applause] [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, it is now my privilege to introduce rev. dr. luis leon to deliver the benediction. >> let us pray -- gracious and the eternal god, as we conclude the second inauguration of president obama, we ask for your blessings as we see to become, in the words of martin luther king, citizens of a beloved community, loving you and our neighbors as ourselves. we pray that you will bless us with your continued presence because without it, hatred and arrogance will in fact our hearts but with your blessings, we know we can break down the walls that separate us. we pray for your blessing today because without it mistrust, prejudice, and rancor will rule our hearts. but with the blessing of your presence, we know that we can renew the ties of mutual regard which can best form our civic life. we pray for your blessing because without it suspicion, despair, and fear of those different from us will be our rule of life but with your blessing, we can see each other created in your image, a unit of god's grace unprecedented, a repeatable, and irreplaceable. we pray for your blessing because without it, we will see only what the eye can see but with the blessing -- your blessing, we will see we are created in your image whether brown, black, or white, male or female, first generation immigrants american or daughter of the american revolution, gay or straight, rich or poor. pray for your blessing because without it, we will only see scarcity in the midst of abundance but with your blessing, we will recognize the abundance of the gifts of this good land with which you have endowed this nation. we pray for your blessing, bless all of us, privileged to be citizens and residents of this nation with a spirit of gratitude and humility that we may become a blessing among the nations of this world. we pray that you will shower with your life giving spirit the elected leaders of this land especially barack , our president, and joe our vice president. tell them what the love -- with the light and graciousness that they would be glad to do your will. endow their cars with wisdom and forbearance so that peace may prevail with righteousness, just as with order, so that men and women throughout this nation can find with one another the fulfillment of our view manatee. we pray that the president, vice president and all in political authority will remember the words of the profit micah - what does the lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and always walk humbly with god. senor presidente - [speaking spanish] >> mr. president and mr. vice president, god bless you all your days. all this we pray in your most holy name, amen. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing for the singing of our national anthem by award winning artist, beyonce accompanied by the u.s. marine band. following the national anthem, please remain at your place while the presidential party exits the platform. ♪ ♪ >> o, say can you see by the dawn 's early light what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous night the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming glaree rockets' red the bombs bursting in thin air. gave it proved it through the night -- gave proof through the night that our flag was still there o say does that star spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the freight and the home of the brave -- o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. ♪ [applause] [applause] ♪ >> several live events to tell you about today on c-span 3 -- president obama, first lady michelle obama, vice president joe biden and his wife jill will attend the national prayer service at washington national cathedral at 9:45 eastern. at 1:30 p.m. eastern, the house ways and means committee holds a hearing in debt and deficit reduction is examining the history of the debt limit and how past congresses and presidents have dealt with and whether the constitution provides options to the executive branch. the house is expected to vote wednesday on increasing the nation's current debt limit of nearly $16.50 trillion. >> a few moments, today's headline and your calls live on "washington journal." the house of representatives convenes at 10:00 eastern for general speeches. today's agenda admen will include the pandemic prepared as bill. we will be live at 7:00 p.m. eastern with gov. mike pence state of the state address. in about one hour and they have, we will focus on president