Levels 4 and 5 On the third Monday in February, Presidents Day, students more often than not read about George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. This reading exercise and the video link offer a valuable insight into the significance of the peaceful transfer of power from one president to another during the election and inauguration. (adapted from To Learn English.) The text has been simplified, and we’ve added a pre-reading vocabulary lesson. After students read the article, have them click on the link to view the video (short excerpts) and hear the words of past and recent presidents on their inauguration day.
1.incumbent
2.symbolize
3.oath
4.previous
5.inauguration
6.testament
7.continuity
8.armed fight
9.stability a. A formal or legally binding statement to do something such as tell the truth in a court of law, made formally and often naming God or a loved one as a witness.
b. To serve as a symbol of something
c. Something that doesn’t change suddenly;
a process that continues
d. The formal placing of somebody in an official position, especially the President of the United States, or a ceremony held for this purpose
e. Fighting with weapons, guns, etc.
f. The current president or outgoing president.
g. Permanent, long lasting
h. Something that shows something else exists or is true.
What is so important about the American Presidency? For many Americans, the simple act of a new or re-elected president taking the oath of office on the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building has come to symbolize the peaceful transfer of power and the continuity of American democracy. Every four years in January, war or peace, no matter what, the outgoing president stands next to the newly elected head of state.
The process of the inauguration: the oath-taking, inaugural address, the parade and formal balls after the speeches, have often helped the nation heal after a bitter election has divided the country.
Marvin Kranz, a presidential historian, says: ” We have done this time and time again. Every four years since 1789 and there has never been a revolution, there has never been a chance of an armed fight. It simply has taken place.”
Mr. Kranz gave this example of the least-accepted behavior: “When Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated in 1801, John Adams, the previous president who was defeated for re-election, kind of snuck out of Washington and was not present. These days, even though they may not care for each other, the former president, if there has been a change, rides with the president from the White House to the inaugural stand.'
When an incumbent president has been defeated, political experts say it is important for the public to see winner and loser standing together at the inaugural ceremony as a testament to the country's stability and political continuity, whatever the outcome of the election.
That spirit was also on display at President Bush's first inaugural four years ago when the man he narrowly beat, outgoing Vice President Al Gore, stood on the same platform along with the outgoing president, Bill Clinton.
Famous Presidential Speeches. Have your students guess which president delivered these words.
1. Among those best remembered is this president’s second inaugural address, delivered near the end of the U.S. Civil War in 1865. 'With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds...to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.'
2. In 1933, a new president faced a different challenge. This president delivered his first inaugural at the height of the Great Depression and he told Americans not to be afraid with the phrase, '... the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.'
3. In 1961, this incoming-President used his inaugural address to encourage Americans to enlist in public service in what became the most famous quote for a generation. 'And so my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.'
4. Four years ago, this president sought to unify the country in the wake of his closely contested election victory over Al Gore. 'Never tiring, never yielding, never finishing, we renew that purpose today. To make our country more just and generous, to affirm the dignity of our lives and every life.'
(1. Abraham Lincoln 2. John F. Kennedy 3. Franklin D. Roosevelt 4. George W. Bush)
Click here to match the president with his place in US history. (concentration game with facts about the presidents)
Click here to tour the Oval Office in the White House
