Obama Sworn In As First Black President

Barack Obama stood before a hushed nation, raised his right hand and recited the 39-word oath to make history as the 44th president of the United States and the first African-American to assume the Oval Office.

Obama’s historic moment — and one that is a milestone for the nation — was witnessed by a jubilant throng that overflowed that National Mall and jammed the grounds around the Washington Monument.

At the moment when Obama completed his oath and officially became President Obama, the enormous crowd erupted in cheers and applause, and a military band played “Hail to the Chief.” Tears streaked the faces of many in the delighted crowd.

Obama invoked history at his own iconic moment. With his right hand raised, his left rested on a Bible that was held by his wife Michelle and was once used by President Abraham Lincoln.

When he tried to speak, he had to overcome chants of “Obama, Obama.”

The new president, who had to suppress a grin in the moments before taking the oath, quickly turned serious.

“What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility – a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task,” he told the nation.

“This is the price and the promise of citizenship,” Obama said.

The swearing-in of Obama, 47, was the culmination of a two-year long presidential campaign and a more than 200 year wait for the country’s African Americans.

It was also the high point of a pageant that began as Obama and now former president George Bush shared a final cup of coffee at the White House. The outgoing president and First Lady Laura Bush greeted Barack and Michelle Obama at the entrance to the White House. Michelle Obama hugged Mrs. Bush and handed her a box wrapped in a red ribbon. The men shook hands and the four of them turned and briefly posed for photos before heading inside.

They later emerged to ride together to the Capitol for Obama’s rendezvous with history.

The Obamas began their day of public events by leaving Blair House for a service at St. John’s Church, Lafayette Square, so-called “Church of Presidents” where commanders-in-chief dating back to James Madison have knelt and bowed their heads before taking the oath of office. Obama was joined at the church by President-elect Joe Biden and his wife Dr. Jill Biden.

The Obamas rode in the new presidential limo with the simple license plate number of 1.

Obama and his wife sat in the center of the first row, as the congregation stood and sang a hymn. At one point during the ceremony, Dr. Joel Hunter instructed those sitting near Obama to place their hands on his shoulders and head as a “spiritual means of giving grace.”

The service’s main speaker Bishop T.D. Jakes spoke of the many trials Obama will face, told Obama that “God goes with you,” and then added that his 14-year-old son would probably offer Obama a different benediction.

“He probably would use Star Trek instead, and so I say, ‘May the force be with you,'” Jakes said confusing “Star Trek” with “Star Wars.”

The service was the first event of a day filled with traditions and significance, but those hallowed acts will take on the added historic power — and for many bolster the proceedings’ sense of exhilaration — as they are carried out for the first time in 220 years by an African American.

Hundreds of thousands of people flocked to the National Mall to witness Obama take the oath of office on the steps of the Capitol.

They poured into the Mall viewing area throughout the night, smiling, waving and bundled up against the frigid overnight temperatures. Some even came chanting “Obama, Obama” and “Yes, we can.” The darkness glittered with the flash of thousands of cameras as they turned the long wait into an impromptu party.

The areas closest to the steps were packed full well before sunrise, and by the time the sun came up the Mall was a sea of people.

Still they came, lined up for blocks as they patiently waited to get cleared by the massive security cordon, and subways from surrounding suburbs were jammed with people hoping to squeeze into the Mall party. By mid-morning, the National Parks Service stopped allowing people onto the Mall and redirected them to the Washington Monument Grounds.

As the throngs gathered outside, President Bush carried out one of his last acts and one of the oldest presidential traditions. Bush wrote a note to the incoming president and left it in the top drawer of the Oval Office desk. By tradition, the contents of those notes are never revealed.

And across the street in Blair House, Obama received the first of what will become a near daily exercise: his national security briefing. At this first briefing, the military aide who carries the briefcase with nuclear codes — known as the “football” — instructed Obama on the protocol surrounding it.

A long weekend of concerts and celebrations were prelude to today’s inauguration capped by a much-anticipated address which, according to sources, will stress “a new era of responsibility.”

That speech, which Obama practiced over the weekend and continues to polish, is expected to last 10 to 20 minutes and will call on Americans to be accountable amid the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and reports of corporate greed and irresponsibility.

“An inauguration is a reminder that here in the United States, even after occasionally savage disagreements, we transfer power peacefully,” said presidential historian and ABC News consultant Richard Norton Smith.

“Inaugurating the first African-American president is of enormous significance and adds an extra dimension and extra pride to the ceremonies, not just for African Americans but for all Americans,” he said.

Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden arrived in Washington, D.C., by train following a route that mirrored Abraham Lincoln’s pre-inaugural trip in 1861.

Obama spent Martin Luther King Jr. Day yesterday volunteering and calling on Americans to participate in a national day of service.

In the morning he went to Walter Reed Hospital, where he visited with 14 soldiers who had been wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan and later helped paint a shelter for homeless teens.

Obama, who has struck a tone of confidence and cooperation during the transition, enters office with higher approval ratings than any incoming president since Ronald Reagan was inaugurated in 1981. Seventy-nine percent of Americans hold a favorable opinion of him.

The newly sworn in President Obama and the new first lady Michelle Obama are expected to attend seven official inaugural balls this evening. The first couple is expected to dance their first dance at the Neighborhood Ball to the Etta James classic “At Last” sung by Beyonce Knowles.