PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (CNN) - President-elect Barack Obama implored Americans Saturday to commit to a new declaration of independence - rejecting ideology and bigotry - as he acknowledged the nation faces severe challenges.
Watch: 'Our future is our choice,' says Obama
"Only a handful of times in our history has a generation been confronted with challenges so vast," he said at a town hall meeting in Philadelphia's 30th Street Station.
"An economy that is faltering. Two wars, one that needs to be ended responsibly, one that needs to be waged wisely. A planet that is warming from our unsustainable dependence on oil."
He added, "And yet while our problems may be new, what is required to overcome them is not. What is required is the same perseverance and idealism
that our founders displayed.
"What is required is a new declaration of independence, not just in our nation, but in our own lives - from ideology and small thinking, prejudice and bigotry - an appeal not to our easy instincts but to our 'better angels,'" he
said, using a phrase from President Abraham Lincoln's inaugural address in
1861.
Obama's remarks came before he was to board a train for the 137-mile journey to Washington, where he will take the oath of office Tuesday.
The train is scheduled to stop in Wilmington, Delaware, to pick up Vice President-elect Joe Biden and his family, and then in Baltimore, Maryland.
"Slow rolls," meaning the president-elect will wave at residents gathered near the tracks, will occur in Claymont, Delaware, and Edgewood, Maryland.
From CNN Politics
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Thank you for the great coverage, CNN!
I'm glued to my tv!!
What a GREAT time to be alive! I feel privileged to experience this moment to see a black man become President 147 years after the Emancipation Proclamation. It is a moment in our history never to be repeated. God Bless America!
you want a piece of pie called the american dream.
you invest in stocks and bonds that yields more profits than others and promises more than before.
the company whom you now own in your small way need to keep wages down or eliminate jobs altogether to get more of your money so as to give you bigger dividend.
your wage is declining and / or you may lose your job altogether.
you can't afford to comsume what you produce.
your company can't make profits and you get no dividends.
your company goes bankrupt.
it's all yours to own, its huge debt and all.
good luck with that. you're gonna need it.
What a wonderful president and representative of our country Barack Obama will be. It is good to see intelligence, sensitivity and sincerity from our next president. We have been lacking that for far too long.
We Americans need to unite and trust and support that the right decisions are and will be made.
We need to demand unification from our politicians to help resolve all the diasters we face.
Liberal, conservative, democrat, republican need to be taken from our vocabulary and replaced by America and Americans first.
Thank you CNN for the excellent coverage!
You're the best of the best!!!
From those of us in Africa we are thrilled by the turn of events as Obama Barack sets to mount the seat of power in America Our prayer is that God should guide and protect him to achieve whatever mission he has been made for Watching his composure is not only thrilling but a clear indication of one who has not only come to change the trend but also someone with a vision We prayerfully wait for January 20 when history shall be made God bless America
You know, I thought I would never say this but we also are gonna be a part of history! We received a message from some "good friends", let's just say, and they invited us and some of the boys to head out over there. Plus, they did say that D.C is gonna be poppin more than Diddy's party! LOL!! Not only that, but they also estimated how many people were gonna be there and the business is gonna boom so you know we are there, LOL!! But to be fair, they not only invited us but also "friends" from other states as well. So, in the end, some people are gonna go(they already arrive) and some are gonna have a good time. Lots of people are gonna be there, not just us. We did tell them to not get into trouble and act crazy, not during this weekend, too much security and so on. Believe it or not, some people did wanted to be a part of so we made sure some people got in the action...
It does sound like fun over there but we are gonna be here though. We're gonna have front row seats with CNN, LOL!! Plus, with that weather, you swear, LOL!! It is definitely gonna be an interesting moment in American history that's for sure and we wanted a part of it.
Plus, for some reason, once my boy became the offical elected president, for some reason EVERYBODY starting acting nice on us. And trust me, in this business, no one is nice to you, LOL!!
fianlly a wish President, thanks God at the right time...
President elect Barack Obama may God bless and keep you & your family, as well as Vice President elect Joe Biden and his family,as you embark on this historic journey. I am just so excited about this new chapter our history. I only wish my parents were alive to see this.
God bless you.
If the 70% of the country who doesn't watch Fox or listen to hate radio will stand together we can make it. We need to reject the angry divisive poeple who feed on fear and hate.
If Obama succeeds we all succeed.
for those who don't follow history they are forced to repeat it.
lincoln is a poor example of a president despite all the endless praise. lincoln was psychotic and most members of his family were mentally ill.
You, Mr PE are not Lincoln!
He is NO Lincoln. Lincoln tried to unite America. The party of Obama is going to shatter it.
" A planet that is warming from our unsustainable dependence on oil."
I think he's been smoking pot again.