WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- President-elect Barack Obama 's inaugural address is one of the most anticipated speeches in decades , with many expecting his words to be chiseled into marble some day . Many expect Barack Obama 's inauguration speech to compare to those given by Roosevelt and Kennedy . Obama aides said that the speech will last 18 to 20 minutes and that Obama will emphasize that America is entering a new area of responsibility . He will say that America has been hurt by a `` me first '' mentality that has contributed to the current economic crisis , aides say , and call on individuals -- as well as corporations and businesses -- to take responsibility for their actions . Obama has said he has been studying previous inaugural addresses -- including President Abraham Lincoln 's and the speeches President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave as he took office amid the Great Depression . Given the nation 's current economic crisis , Errol Lewis , a columnist for the New York Daily News , was looking for Obama to echo Roosevelt 's famous 1933 inauguration address when he said , `` The only thing we have to fear is fear itself . '' `` He 's got to calm the nation . I think he 's got to reassure the nation and let people know that we are in it for the long haul . If you look at that 1933 speech , that is pretty much what FDR did , '' Lewis said . Watch a preview of inauguration events » . `` He wants to lift us up ... and all the aspirations we have , all the hope , '' Lewis said . `` But at the same time , he has some very practical problems that start at 12:01 p.m. , and he starts to own them at high noon . There are no easy answers . '' Obama must also emphasize that his administration represents a fresh start for America and `` kick away from that old history , '' said Peggy Noonan , President Ronald Reagan 's speechwriter and a columnist for The Wall Street Journal . `` It 's been about a year since people thought they had a president , if you will . ... It 's been some time since the American people heard , 'We 've got an economic problem , but , baby , we are getting through it . We are going to get past this thing . We are going to rise again , ' `` Noonan said . Watch Noonan and others on the art of speech writing » . Obama has already demonstrated his ability as a master orator , and many observers are looking for the new president 's address to equal the great speeches by presidents Roosevelt , John F. Kennedy and Reagan . `` He 's got to give that great , soaring speech . '' CNN contributor David Gergen said . `` I think the pressure is really on because of the historic nature of this presidency and also because of the extraordinary moment in which we find ourselves with this terrible recession . '' Watch what is expected from Obama 's speech » . `` That is a lot to do in a single speech but , you know , because he has such a high reputation for giving excellent speeches ... the expectations for this one are just -- well , they 're soaring , '' Gergen added . But beyond the nation 's immediate economic concerns , Obama 's inauguration speech with also mark a national milestone : the inauguration of the first African-American president . In his previous speeches , Obama has referred to another great African-American orator : the Rev . Martin Luther King Jr. , who made a historic speech on the other end of the Mall . Obama is likely to refer to King and the dramatic struggles African-Americans have fought as they emerged from slavery and fought for full civil rights . Watch what Obama 's presidency means to African-Americans » . `` If you think about the journey that this country has made , then it ca n't help but stir your heart , '' Obama told CNN 's John King during an interview Friday . `` The notion that I now will be standing there and sworn in as the 44th president , I think , is something that , hopefully , our children take for granted , but our grandparents , I think , are still stunned by , and it 's a remarkable moment . '' The pressure on Obama to produce a speech for the ages not is limited to the public , Obama said . After a family visit to the Lincoln Memorial , which has Lincoln 's second inaugural address inscribed on its walls , Obama 's 10-year-old daughter , Malia , turned her father and said , `` First African-American president -- better be good . '' CNN 's Scott J. Anderson contributed to this report .
NEW : Aides says Obama 's speech will call for a new era of democracy . His Obama speech is being compared to Eisenhower 's and Kennedy 's . Obama is expected to ` ` calm the nation '' like he did in 1933 , columnist says . The first African - American president is also likely to refer to Obama 's address .