A Brief History Of:swearing In

摘要

At noon on jan,20,barack obama will place his left hand on the Lincoln Bible, a velvet-bound tome purchased by a Supreme Court clerk for the Great Emancipator's swearing in. He will raise his right hand and repeat after Chief Justice John Roberts these words from Section i of the Second Article of the U.S. Constitution: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." As a speech, it's short and to the point. As a symbol of the duties of public office, it's momentous. Bibles have been used to consecrate oaths for hundreds of years: they've had a role in the coronation of British monarchs since the nth century. Swearing on Scripture in courts of law dates back to 300 B.C.