Video: 'Jan. 21, 1985: Inaugural Ceremonies for Ronald Reagan'

(Monday, January 21, 1985, 11:48 a.m. EST) — President Ronald Reagan launched his second term today, saying the nation faced “a moment of bard decisions” that demanded further limits on the cost and size and power of the Federal
Government.

In a somewhat subdued Inaugural Address before a packed, standing crowd in the Rotunda of the Capitol, Reagan said the nation had reached “a turning point” and was “poised for greatness” after his first term in the White House.

“The time has come for a new American Emancipation — a great national drive to tear down economic barriers and liberate the spirit of enterprise in the most distressed areas of the country,” Reagan said. “My friends, together we can do this, and do it we must, so help me God.”

Single-digit temperatures and fierce winds had forced the cancellation of the public ceremony on the West Front of the Capitol and the parade along Pennsylvania Avenue. Instead, Reagan stood inside on a hastily installed wooden platform to take his public oath of office from Chief Justice Warren E. Burger about 15 minutes after Vice President George H.W. Bush was sworn in to his second
term.

The public inaugural ceremony was delayed until today, given that Jan. 20, the date specified by the Constitution, fell on a Sunday.