LAD #9

In Thomas Jefferson's first inagural address begins out very modestly. He says he does not know if he is up to the challenge of leading the nation. He then tells the people what a great land this is and that he is "humbled" to take on such "the magnitude of the undertaking." He was really showing his anti-federalist roots in an attempt to connect to the common man here. After that he says that the Constitution will guide him, and that he will consult it when he encounters difficulties. He then tells the people that they are in charge of Congress, and that he will rely on their adive and support to "steer with safety the vessel" that is the nation. He is basically saying that the fate of the nation is not in his hands alone, but the you the people will run the country with me, in order to steer to the greater. He talks  about how each person there has equal rights, no matter their social class or influence. He also talks about the potential that America has, and how it will rise to a greater status in the world. Then like many of the other leaders of the day, he talks about how important it is for the nation to stick together. Like Benjamin Franklin once said, "United We Stand, Divided We Fall."