A private swearing-in ceremony took place on Sunday, January 20, 2013, in the Blue Room of the White House, followed by a public inauguration ceremony on Monday, January 21, 2013, at the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.[1] The inauguration theme, "Faith in America's Future," commemorated the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and the completion of the Capitol dome in 1863.

Additionally, the president vowed to keep existing alliances strong, emphasized the economic recovery and the end of wars, and stated that "no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation".

[13] Other positions were held by Jim Messina, who oversaw the Inaugural parade, Stephanie Cutter, Jen O'Malley Dillon, Julianna Smoot, Rufus Gifford and Patrick Gaspard.

[19] This was only the third time in history that a vice president was sworn in outside of the Capitol grounds, after William King's in Matanzas, Cuba in 1853, and Harry Truman at the White House in 1945.

[20] The weather conditions for the outdoor ceremony on January 21 at 12 noon at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, located 3.1 miles from the Capitol, were: 40 °F (4 °C), wind 10 mph, and mostly cloudy.

[22] The ceremony opened with the playing of pre‑recorded music and a live performance of the Fifth-grade chorus from Public School 22,[22] followed by "The President's Own" United States Marine Band.

[23] Myrlie Evers-Williams, the widow of slain civil-rights leader Medgar Evers, delivered the invocation,[22] followed by a performance of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.

[22] After completing his oath of office as the vice president, Biden received in his honor the first playing of four ruffles and flourishes and the march "Hail, Columbia" by members of the armed forces.

[22] After he had completed the oath of office as the president, Obama received in his honor the 21-gun salute and the first playing of four ruffles and flourishes and the march "Hail to the Chief" by members of the armed forces.

Obama, who "largely eschewed foreign policy except to recommend engagement over war, and instead focused on addressing poverty and injustice at home",[29] delved in broad strokes into the United States past and its future as he called on ordinary Americans to "shape the debates of our time.

"[29][30] Barack Obama used the opening words of the U.S. Constitution's preamble, "We, the people", to suggest how to reconcile America's founding truths and the current discord and dysfunction of its embittered political system.

[39] President Obama also spoke firmly about climate change, immigration reform, and gun control, and argued that they represented important issues for this generation to solve.

[32] Noting that "none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires and crippling drought and more powerful storms"[40] Obama stated that his administration "will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations.

"[32] "We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else, because she is an American, she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes of God but also in our own," he declared.

"[30] While praising U.S. Armed Forces members for their bravery and strength, Obama asserted that "enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war.

"[30] This statement was made in the foreign policy section of his inaugural address in which Obama promised diplomacy of engagement backed with military steel, but he did not dwell on specific crises like Iran.

"[27] Noting that "Decisions are upon us, and we cannot afford delay" Obama stressed the need of shielding the weak, the poor and those lacking health care and demanded equality for all races and gay rights, and security from gun crime for children.

Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country.

Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia, to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for and cherished and always safe from harm.Richard Blanco read a poem he wrote for the occasion, One Today.

[50] One critic called it "a rare break from the staid custom of ceremony that the rest of the afternoon brought" and another described it as "art meant to orient, to reconfirm collective identity in a time of recent tragedy.

"[51] At the conclusion of his inaugural address, Obama walked back into the Capitol building, then turned for a moment to look out at the National Mall, filled with hundreds of thousands of flag-waving Americans.

Then, in the President's Room of the U.S. Capitol, with the bipartisan congressional leadership looking on, Obama signed documents submitting the nominations of his nominees for several Cabinet posts, the secretaries of State, Defense and Treasury and the head of the CIA.

Featured speakers at the prayer service included religious leaders from the National African American Clergy Network, Islamic Society of North America, in addition to the Metropolitan Community Churches that served as a spiritual refuge and place of worship for gay Christians.

"[66] Obama's second inaugural speech was regarded as laying out a broad liberal or progressive agenda, supporting gay rights and climate change reform.

[72] Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stated in a written statement that every four years on Inaugural Day America shows the world that its major political parties can disagree with civility and mutual respect.

McConnell wrote that Obama's speech was a "fresh start" to address the issue of federal spending and debt: "Republicans are eager to work with the president on achieving this common goal and we firmly believe that divided government provides the perfect opportunity to do so.

"[74] While Professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University Julian Zelizer called the speech a "powerful oration for a contentious moment in national politics",[70] Georgetown University professor Donna Brazile called it "a deeply moving and patriotic speech" and "one of the most effective usages of the founding documents' principles as a supporting narrative -- drawing us from the past to the present to the future" by "a president sharing with the nation his values most personal and vision most spiritual.

"[70] Oxford University historian Timothy Stanley wrote that Obama, compared to "one of those "bring us together", delivered "a more policy specific speech that reflected the difficult, partisan reality of 2013.

[75] Former CNN producer and correspondent Frida Ghitis complained that Obama devoted nearly all his inaugural speech to domestic issues and said that international disengagement isn't an option for America.

Instead of pinning blame for every social problem on the size of government, the president recognized both individual responsibility and the role of community in giving each child the opportunity to succeed.