Inaugural Address

This is a particular kind of speech that's only given by presidents who, you guessed it, have just been inaugurated. So they happen every four years, whether or not it's a new guy or the same guy as last time. (They've all been guys.) They're like a miniature State of the Union Address, because the incoming president generally wants to talk about the state of the country and what he hopes to achieve, but not in as much detail. It's a combination of the practical and the inspirational, and depending on who's giving it, can be uplifting (JFK's), tear-jerking (Lincoln's Second), or just plain meh.

How it Breaks Down

American History

Coolidge says that America can't truly progress without a solid understanding of where the country and its values came from. So he gives a brief history of the nation, focusing on events that support his claim that America has always been about defending its values of liberty and justice: the American Revolution, the Monroe Doctrine, westward expansion, and World War I.

International Affairs

Coolidge continues at some length about America's relationship to other nations, which was on peoples' minds because of World War I (which had just ended seven years before), and issues with war reparations payments. He stresses that the U.S. needs to protect its independence, but we also can't sit by and let humanity destroy each other. We have to use our resources to help others. He paints an optimistic picture of the U.S. as a nation that will be able to avoid Old World problems but still play a leadership role in the world. Win-win.

The Economy

The 1920s were all about tiny government and major tax cuts. Coolidge reiterates that the people clearly want more tax cuts and reduced government waste, so that's what he plans to do. He emphasizes the need to protect people's property rights, and promoting prosperity by letting people keep the money they earn instead of handing it over to the IRS.

The Government and its People

To close out his speech, Coolidge reminds the people that good citizens of a republic obey the law—that's how you live a moral, fulfilling life. But generally speaking, he expresses a lot of optimism about how the American people are uniting over important issues, and that we're progressing in the right direction. Again, he promotes the idea of the U.S. as the moral, liberty-protecting alternative to the despots of the world.