[Gutenberg 925] • United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches: From Washington to George W. Bush

This superb book contains every address ever delivered by a newly elected or reelected President of the United States of America. Taken as a whole, this collection offers a comprehensive history of leadership in the USA, as well as a catalog of major challenges and milestones in the country's history. The journey of the USA from its hard-won independence to its prominence as global superpower was long and arduous; as these addresses make clear, this is a nation tested time and again by war, disaster, hardship. The inaugural addresses often refer to the political climate and events ensuing in their time, and the aspirations of each President. We witness in these speeches George Washington introducing the new country to the world, Abraham Lincoln grappling with the Civil War that divided the nation, Franklin D. Roosevelt tackling first the Great Depression and then the horrors of war. Throughout, we hear of crises encountered and overcome; of victories hard fought; of a people steadfast and determined.