President Abraham Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address on March 4, 1865, near the end of the Civil War. Lincoln invited Black Americans to participate in the 1865 inaugural parade for the first time, two years after he issued the Emancipation Proclamation. via Library of Congress
For a Google doc version of this lesson, click here . (Note: You will need to make a copy of the Google doc to edit it.)Overview
The inaugural address is an important civic tradition that marks the transfer of power in American democracy. Some have called it a "high holiday" of the American "civic religion," celebrating some of the most important traditions of democracy. In this lesson, students explore this history and significance of the inaugural address and then write their own short address, mixing chosen themes and inspirational quotes.Subjects
U.S. History, U.S. Government, CivicsEstimated Time
One 50-minute class periodGrade Level
9-12 Objectives:- Students will examine the elements of the presidential inauguration ceremony and understand the importance of the ceremony as a political norm and tradition.
- Students will research historic inaugural addresses and gain perspectives from presidential historians about the importance of the inaugural address and ceremony.
- Students will synthesize information about inaugural ceremonies and historical perspective and address the importance of national unity.
- What is the importance of the presidential inauguration ceremony towards the peaceful transition of power?
- Why is it important for elected members of the federal government and former presidents to attend the Presidential Inauguration?
- What are 2-3 themes (such as "national unity," a theme of Biden's address) that you would want to address if you were being sworn in as president of the United States?
- What are 2-3 inspirational quotes that you would want to include in an inaugural address if you were being sworn in as president of the United States?
- Take a swing at presidential speech writing. Write between 100-500 words of an inaugural address using themes and inspirational quotes that you chose. Good luck!
- Optional : Send your speech to PBS NewsHour EXTRA! We would love to read your speech and share it with others over social media. You can email it to us directly or have your teacher tag @NewsHourEXTRA and use the hashtag #PBSInaugurationSpeech .
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