An individual, except the president, elected or appointed to an office of honor or profit in the civil service or uniformed services, shall take the following oath. Abraham lincoln on constitution and character ashbrook. I choked up with emotion when it came to the protecting and defending the constitution part. I do solemnly swear or affirm that i will faithfully execute the office of president of the united states, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of the united states. Preserve, protect, and defend the constitution home. The house of representatives is now taking action to defend the constitution and restore the balance of power envisioned by our founders. I didnt swear an oath to protect and defend the constitution unless theres an election coming up, he. I, ab, do solemnly swear or affirm that i will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies, foreign and domestic. The thought, apparently, was that if one is committing to preserve, protect, and defend the constitution it had better be done as perfectly as man could do it, lest there be any one say the constitution was not being meticulously followed. The first letter is a response to democratic critics of the. The united states constitution has kept this great country and its people free for well over 200 years. The commander in chiefs calls to abridge freedoms of speech and the press represent attacks on the constitution he swore to protect and defend. Take this oath freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion.
The oath of office as sworn too with ones hand on the bible, i swear to preserve, protech and defend the constitution of the united states of america. Constitution the united states shall guarantee to every state in this union a republican form of government, and shall protect each of them against invasion. When the president swore an oath to preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the united states, he took it just as seriously as the. You promised to defend the constitution against all.
I swore an oath to protect and defend the constitution, booker told npr on saturday. These reflections are contained in two letters he wrote, one to erastus corning and others in 1863 and the other to albert g. I do solemnly swear or affirm that i will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Written by an old american by bill terrel 2014, hardcover at the best online prices at ebay. A case for president trumps impeachment the atlantic. The error was picked up by schoolgirl helen terwilliger on the radio. Preserve, defend and protect the constitution by doug poppa october 3, 2017 1 comment when i entered the united states army 40 years ago i took an oath. Nor was it my view that i might take an oath to get power, and break the oath in using the power. In article two, section one, clause eight, it says the president must take an oath and swear to preserve, protect, and defend the constitution. I, name, do solemnly swear or affirm that i will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies, foreign and domestic. I am concerned with recent infringements on the constitution, especially the first, second, and fourth amendments.
Today the mayor swore me in to the towns a position in the shade tree commission. I just wanted a place to put political posts so they dont show up on my timeline memories next year, and to keep my personal page, more. Article 2, section 1 of the constitution requires that before presidents can assume their duties they must take. I could not take the office without taking the oath. The oath, as stated in article ii, section i, clause 8 of the u. Defending the constitution congressman adrian smith. Most americans are aware of the presidential oath of office required of a new president before he begins.
The essential and enduring feature of both post911 presidents has been their shared contention that their core objective and by extension, that of the executive branch is to protect u. Preserve, defend and protect the constitution baltimore. Faithfully discharge the duties of the office of their job. The clause, in notable part, enjoins the president to swear or affirm that he will to the best of his ability, preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the united states. The constitution only specifies an oath of office for the president. Nor was it in my view that i might take the oath to get power, and break the oath in using the power.
I took an oath to protect and defend the constitution when i enlisted in the army and again when i was sworn into congress. Donald trump is so committed to upholding the constitution that, if elected and sworn into office, his oath to protect and defend the constitution of the united states will include protecting. Whatever happened to the public promise to preserve, protect and defend the constitution as it is written. This oath is meaningless as it is administered today we must pass a law that particularly the president of the united states varies in any respect from performing that duty the sanctioned in the most severe manner possible. The frames around the cases that protect the original versions of the constitution, the bill of rights, and the declaration of independence are made of pure titanium coated with gold that matches. Officers of the national guard of the various states, however, take an additional oath. What else does the constitution say about the duties, powers, responsibilities. The oath of office and what it means federal news network. Article 2, section 1 of the constitution requires that before presidents can.
Oath of office of the president of the united states wikipedia. Why does the president have to promise to preserve protect. It was in the oath i took that i would to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the united states. Sworn in to protect and defend the constitution of the. In 1929, taft, later the chief justice, garbled the oath when he swore in president herbert hoover using the words preserve, maintain, and defend the constitution, instead of preserve, protect, and defend.
United states uniformed services oath of office wikipedia. I, name, do solemnly swear or affirm that i will support and defend the constitution of the united states and the constitution of the state commonwealth. A system of checks and balances was purposefully crafted into the constitution to counter the nature of man, or the shortcomings we as humans have to our egos. Protecting the constitution congressman warren davidson.
Protect the constitution american center for law and justice. Oath of office of the president of the united states. Giphy is how you search, share, discover, and create gifs. The presidential oath of office requires the president to preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of the united states. To protect and defend the constitution the new united states constitution was also carefully crafted to protect the states and the people from ever falling under a tyranny again. The oaths of office for various federal employees and the military the presidential oath of office i, do solemnly swear or affirm that i will faithfully execute the office of president of the united states, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the constitution. Why do postal workers have to swear an oath to do their jobs. Support and defend the constitution of the united states. Why we must defend the constitution, the guardian of liberty. According to this statute, officials must solemnly swear or affirm that they will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies, foreign and domestic and that they will bear true faith and allegiance to the same. I do solemnly swear or affirm that i will faithfully execute the office of president of the united states, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the united states. Unfortunately, efforts of states to recoup costs resulting from the. Protect and defend the constitution, second amendment.
The president is required by article ii, section i of the u. Discussions of the us constitution tend to focus upon the actions of the president, congress and the supreme court. While these are consequential, often overlooked is the impact of the constitution on the actions of local government. It was in the oath i took that i would, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of the united states. I remembered my grandfather fighting spain and poncho villa as well as serving in the meuse argonne. If trump had his way, the constitution would be deader than the czars, though not quite in the way scalia meant. They designed a representative government to protect the rights of all americans by making it. Oath of office the heritage guide to the constitution. At the start of each new congress, all members beginning a new term of office the entire house of representative and onethird of the senate take an oath to support and defend the constitution of the united states. Lets say youre a new federal employee and you take that oath.