Franklin D. Roosevelt's First Inaugural Address: List 1

In the very depths of the Great Depression, a new president took office. Franklin D. Roosevelt would serve longer than any other president. He would bring the nation out of its worst economic crisis and through most of World War II. Read the full text here.

This list covers paragraphs 1–6.

Here are links to our lists for the speech: List 1, List 2, List 3
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. induction
    a formal entry into an organization or position or office
    I am certain that my fellow Americans expect that on my induction into the Presidency I will address them with a candor and a decision which the present situation of our Nation impels.
  2. candor
    the quality of being honest and straightforward
    I am certain that my fellow Americans expect that on my induction into the Presidency I will address them with a candor and a decision which the present situation of our Nation impels.
  3. impel
    urge or force to an action; constrain or motivate
    I am certain that my fellow Americans expect that on my induction into the Presidency I will address them with a candor and a decision which the present situation of our Nation impels.
  4. assert
    declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true
    So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.
  5. curtailment
    the state or process of being cut short
    Values have shrunken to fantastic levels; taxes have risen; our ability to pay has fallen; government of all kinds is faced by serious curtailment of income; the means of exchange are frozen in the currents of trade; the withered leaves of industrial enterprise lie on every side; farmers find no markets for their produce; the savings of many years in thousands of families are gone.
  6. host
    a vast multitude
    More important, a host of unemployed citizens face the grim problem of existence, and an equally great number toil with little return.
  7. toil
    work hard
    More important, a host of unemployed citizens face the grim problem of existence, and an equally great number toil with little return.
  8. optimist
    a person disposed to take a favorable view of things
    Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment.
  9. stricken
    grievously affected especially by disease
    We are stricken by no plague of locusts.
  10. languish
    fail to progress or succeed
    Plenty is at our doorstep, but a generous use of it languishes in the very sight of the supply.
  11. incompetence
    lack of physical or intellectual ability or qualifications
    Primarily this is because the rulers of the exchange of mankind's goods have failed, through their own stubbornness and their own incompetence, have admitted their failure, and abdicated.
  12. abdicate
    give up power, duties, or obligations
    Primarily this is because the rulers of the exchange of mankind's goods have failed, through their own stubbornness and their own incompetence, have admitted their failure, and abdicated.
  13. unscrupulous
    without principles
    Practices of the unscrupulous money changers stand indicted in the court of public opinion, rejected by the hearts and minds of men.
  14. indict
    accuse formally of a crime
    Practices of the unscrupulous money changers stand indicted in the court of public opinion, rejected by the hearts and minds of men.
  15. exhortation
    a communication intended to urge or persuade to take action
    Stripped of the lure of profit by which to induce our people to follow their false leadership, they have resorted to exhortations, pleading tearfully for restored confidence.
Created on Sat Apr 21 13:00:55 EDT 2012 (updated Mon Aug 24 17:58:12 EDT 2026)

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