Richard Milhous NixonSecond Inaugural Address Saturday, January
20, 1973 Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chief Justice,
Senator Cook, Mrs. Eisenhower, and my fellow citizens of this
great and good country we share together: When we met here four
years ago, America was bleak in spirit, depressed by the
prospect of seemingly endless war abroad and of destructive
conflict at home. As we meet here today, we stand on the
threshold of a new era of peace in the world. The central
question before us is: How shall we use that peace? Let us
resolve that this era we are about to enter will not be what
other postwar periods have so often been: a time of retreat and
isolation that leads to stagnation at home and invites new
danger abroad. Let us resolve that this will be what it can
become: a time of great responsibilities greatly borne, in which
we renew the spirit and the promise of America as we enter our
third century as a nation. This past year saw far-reaching
results from our new policies for peace. By continu