this
day，we
come
to
proclaim
an
end
to
the
petty
grievances
and
false
promises，the
recriminations
and
worn
out
dogmas，that
for
far
too
long
have
strangled
our
politics.
We
remain
a
young
nation，but
in
the
words
of
Scripture，the
time
has
come
to
set
aside
childish
things.
The
time
has
come
to
reaffirm
our
enduring
spirit;to
choose
our
better
history;to
carry
forward
that
precious
gift，that
noble
idea，passed
on
from
generation
to
generation:the
God-given
promise
that
all
are
equal，all
are
free，and
all
deserve
a
chance
to
pursue
their
full
measure
of
happiness.
In
reaffirming
the
greatness
of
our
nation，we
understand
that
greatness
is
never
a
given.
It
must
be
earned.
Our
journey
has
never
been
one
of
short-cuts
or
settling
for
less.
It
has
not
been
the
path
for
the
faint-hearted-for
those
who
prefer
leisure
over
work，or
seek
only
the
pleasures
of
riches
and
fame.
Rather，it
has
been
the
risk-takers，the
doers，the
makers
of
things-some
celebrated
but
more
often
men
and
women
obscure
in
their
labor，who
have
carried
us
up
the
long，rugged
path
towards
prosperity
and
freedom.
For
us，they
packed
up
their
few
worldly
possessions
and
traveled
across
oceans
in
search
of
a
new
life.
For
us，they
toiled
in
sweatshops
and
settled
the
West;endured
the
lash
of
the
whip
and
plowed
the
hard
earth.
For
us，they
fought
and
died，in
places
like
Concord
and
Gettysburg;Normandy
and
Khe
Sanh.
Time
and
again
these
men
and
women
struggled
and
sacrificed
and
worked
till
their
hands
were
raw
so
that
we
might
live
a
better
life.
They
saw
America
as
bigger
than
the
sum
of
our
individual
ambitions;greater
than
all
the
differences
of
birth
or
wealth
or
faction.
This
is
the
journey
we
continue
today.
We
remain
the
most
prosperous，powerful
nation
on
Earth.
Our
workers
are
no
less
productive
than
when
this
crisis
began.
Our
minds
are
no
less
inventive，our
goods
and
services
no
less
needed
than
they
were
last
week
or
last
month
or
last
year.
Our
capacity
remains