Inaugural Addresses, Presidential

As the United States' chief executive, the president's public speeches both influence and reflect cultural norms. Thus, political scholars have assessed that the presidency is largely rhetorical and that a variety of rhetorical genres have come to typify the institution of the presidency. One such genre is the inaugural address. Each new term of a president of the United States begins with a constitutionally mandated oath or affirmation before they may enter the office of the presidency. The swearing in of the president is known as the “inaugural address” and has been given by each of the presidential elects who were elected to a full term.

Many scholars have used various theoretical approaches to examine the institution of the presidency and some have focused on the ...