John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address

Almost a million people in Washington, DC, endured freezing temperatures to catch a glimpse of newly elected US President John F. Kennedy delivering his inaugural address on January 20, 1961, as he was sworn in as the 35th US president. Like all presidential inaugural speeches, Kennedy’s sought to set a tone for his administration and define his vision for the country. Unlike other inaugurals, however, Kennedy’s has become a touchstone document in US political history. Speechwriters and scholars continue to study and admire the text for its eloquence and for the vision of hope it articulates.

This guide uses Voice of Democracy’s online version of the text, which contains numbered paragraphs. In addition to this version, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum offers a video of the speech.

The speech contains three main sections, each using a different rhetorical strategy and highlighting a different theme. In the first section, Kennedy grounds America’s present in its past (Paragraphs 1-4). He emphasizes that his election proceeds from principles announced by America’s founders: “We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution” (Paragraph 4).