Why Presidents Take an Oath of Office?

The article explains the history and culture of all the US presidents from George Washington to the current President Donald Trump taking an oath of office. In the US, taking an oath is a requirement in accordance with the Article II, Section I, Clause 8 of the Constitution, for all the incoming presidents taking office and prior to their execution of office. In the taking the oath, most presidents quote that so help me God, although the Constitution of the US does not provide that section. A historical retrospective look on the oath of office reveals that the presidential oath of office could have originated in Britain or Egypt.

The aspects of taking the oath of office in the US started officially with the third president, Thomas Jefferson when he first made a public acknowledgment that taking constitutional responsibilities was far above his talents. Since then, all other presidents who followed him have taken the oath of office including the current US President Donald Tramp. Scholars believe that the main purpose of the oath of office is to give the president the power to protect the Constitution and the US citizens by all means and at all times. In addition, the oaths help protect the citizens from the presidents who could be greedy by limiting them, under the Constitution rather than empowering them.

I feel that the oath of office is crucial for all the incoming presidents because swearing to execute the office of the president faithfully ties the president to using the lawfully, misusing his powers. Also, the oath holds the president responsible and answerable for any misuse of resources or powers during the reign. I think taking the oath for all the incoming residents is significant because by swearing to protect the citizens of the US. For example, I believe that when the US president Donald Trump order the firing of the missile to Syrian forces, he must have felt that the act of releasing chemical weapons was not only threatening the lives of the Syrians but also the Americans. Consequently, he acted in accordance with the constitution of the US, and in honor of the oath of office that he took during his inauguration of the office to protect and defend the people of the United States of America.

I agree with the author on the significance for having all the US president being sworn in using the same word in the oath of office. First, by using the same words, the oath of office assigns all the presidents of the US with the same duties and responsibilities of executing the office of the president faithfully, protect and defend the people of the United States and the Constitution. Since the duties and responsibilities are straightforward, candidates aspiring to be the president of the US can have an adequate time understanding the kind of work that they would wish to undertake. More so, the act of taking the oath of office while raising one hand and placing the other on two bibles signifies the seriousness and toughness of the duties being undertaken by the incoming president. As such, the president seeks divine help and guidance so as to rule wisely, put the interests of others first and exercise powers assigned to them responsibly.

References

Why presidents take an oath of office. (2017). Economist.com. Retrieved 23 April 2017, from http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2017/01/economist-explains-14?zid=316&ah=2f6fb672faf113fdd3b11cd1b1bf8a77