George Washington, who was born on February 22, 1732, was inaugurated as our first president on April 30, 1789 at Federal Hall in New York City. With numerous witnesses assembled for the historic occasion, he stepped onto the outdoor balcony and requested an open Bible, upon which he placed his right hand and took the oath of office. At the conclusion, the church bells pealed, the artillery roared, and the applause thundered.
Our new President went inside and spoke with a gravity and solemnity that befitted the anointing of our nation.
He began, "It would be peculiarly improper to omit, in this first official act, my fervent supplication to that Almighty Being, who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States ... No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency ... We ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained." Peter Marshall and David Manuel, The Light and the Glory (Fleming H. Revell: Grand Rapids, MI, 1977), 349.
Our new President went inside and spoke with a gravity and solemnity that befitted the anointing of our nation.
He began, "It would be peculiarly improper to omit, in this first official act, my fervent supplication to that Almighty Being, who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States ... No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency ... We ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained." Peter Marshall and David Manuel, The Light and the Glory (Fleming H. Revell: Grand Rapids, MI, 1977), 349.
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