It was 1933. The country was several years into a depression. Banks were failing. Thirteen million people were out of work. And President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had to deliver his first inaugural address. No pressure.
What came out of that speech was one of the best known lines from any inaugural address in American history:
“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.”
The fact that video and audio — which you can see a clip of in the Instagram post above — exists of the speech make it all the more memorable.
Roosevelt’s leadership during the Great Depression and World War II earned him the honor of being elected President four times. But it was his first inaugural speech that set the tone for his entire presidency and for the country overall.
You can read key quotes and full transcripts from this and every other inaugural address here.
Watch CNN’s coverage of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Friday, January 20.
