He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat; Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant, my feet!
For some, the high point was Jimmy Carter's unexpected thank-you to Gerald Ford "for all he has done to heal our land." For others, it was Carter's unprecedented stroll down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House after he was sworn in. But for many, the most memorable—and symbolic—moment came when a black choir sang the Battle Hymn of the Republic in honor of a Southern President.
A century of Southern estrangement from the nation was over. A remarkable political journey—one that led in only two years from the red clay fields of south Georgia to America's highest office—was at an end. Jimmy Carter, at 52, was the 39th President of the United States.
Few seemed less awed by the transformation than Carter himself. With Rosalynn and nine-year-old Amy in tow, he strolled like a tourist up the driveway to his new home. "Where do I live?" he asked White House Chief Usher Rex Scouten. Scouten promptly led the family upstairs to the presidential quarters that had only that morning been vacated by the Fords.
Someone had asked Carter the night before his swearing-in if he were nervous about becoming President. "No," he answered after a moment's reflection. "I'm sorry, but I'm not." He plunged immediately and vigorously into his work. Within a day he had issued his first Executive order, pardoning all Viet Nam-era draft evaders who were not involved in violent antiwar acts (see story page 15). He also issued a statement urging Americans to save energy by turning down their thermostats to 65° F. in the daytime and even lower at night. Carter found time to select the desk he will use in the Oval Office: made of oak timbers from the British ship Resolute, and a present to President Rutherford Hayes from Queen Victoria, it was last used by John Kennedy.
This week Carter's Cabinet meets for the first time. The new President will probably also attend some of the first daily 8 a.m. staff meetings, to be presided over by White House Counsel Robert Lipshutz. High on the agenda: domestically, Carter's plans to reorganize the Executive Branch, reform welfare and stimulate the economy; in foreign affairs, a review of the negotiations over a new Panama Canal treaty and arms talks with the Soviets.