The Presidential Oath
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By Hillsdale College July 5, 2013
Dr. Larry P. Arnn discusses the presidential oath of office.
Transcript:
STUDENT: Hello, I’m Elaine, a student at Hillsdale College. Here is Hillsdale President Larry Arnn on the importance on the presidential oath of office
DR. ARNN: Members of Congress and federal judges take an oath to the Constitution, but the Constitution prescribes the exact words of the oath only for the President. The American Presidency was a new and powerful office created at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Nothing like it existed in any other Constitution in history. It was designed to allow certain virtues, decision, activity, secrecy, dispatch, things like that. And they were thought to be essential to executive power especially in a crisis. But despite this immense power, the power is not so powerful as the Constitution itself, that is why President’s must pledge to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution, and why it is the duty of the people to make sure they do so.
STUDENT: This Constitution Minute was brought to you by Hillsdale College. To join the national conversation on the Constitution, go to ConstitutionMinute.org.
