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Barack Obama came to Washington at the end of a tour of the cold Atlantic coast on its way to the assumption, following the historic route of President Abraham Lincoln.

The crowd endured freezing temperatures to greet Obama along the route of 220 kilometers (137 miles) from Philadelphia to the U.S. capital.


Within three days, will take over as the successor to President George W. Bush.


At the start of the tour, Obama promised to bring the country a "declaration of independence, free from prejudice, discrimination and narrow visions.


The trip included a stop in Delaware, to pick the vice president-elect Joe Biden and another for a speech in Baltimore, where he said: "Let us together a better life in our time."


Obama referred to a lineage of the giant appeal in favor of "not easy to our instincts, but to our better angels," in an echo of Lincoln's first speech. It also reviewed the challenges that await them and promised to act "with fierce urgency", a phrase often used by the Reverend Martin Luther King child, civil rights activist.


The triumphant day for the president-elect starts events leading up to his inauguration on Tuesday, as the first black U.S. president.


Aboard an old-style wagon, Obama carried the hopes of a nation that has suffered wars, recession fears and hopes for a better future.


Biden spoke for many when he said he was excited about taking on Tuesday and then, overwhelmed by the challenge presented, he added "I think we should be ready for Wednesday."


Obama was all smiles and confidence during the journey, arriving at each of his stops in search of lessons from history. In Philadelphia, said the risks faced by the men who declared independence from British rule in the United States. In Wilmington, acknowledged the first state to ratify the Constitution. And in Baltimore, paid homage to the soldiers of Fort McHenry, who made off with the British Navy and inspired the poem that became the national anthem.


Obama also said he was aware of the challenges facing his presidency. He spoke of the economic crisis, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, "one that must be completed in a responsible manner, one that should be conducted wisely," and referred to the threat of global warming and dependence on foreign oil to the U.S. .


It also told the crowd gathered in Philadelphia that same idealism shown by the founders of the nation needed to meet the challenges of today.


"We recognize that major challenges will not be resolved so quickly. There will be false starts and setbacks, frustrations and disappointments. And we were asked to show patience while we act with a fierce urgency," said Obama.


In his weekly radio and Internet, Obama said Tuesday that the ceremony is a rite of passage that the country held every four years as an expression of its democratic ideals, and that should not be taken for granted.


"We must remember that our nation was founded in an era of kings and queens, and even today, billions of people around the world can not conceive that their leaders handed over power without struggle or bloodshed," he said.


He added that the presidential succession has taken place "during times of war and peace, prosperity and depression (...) Our democracy has undergone many changes and our people have been many steps toward a more perfect union. What has survived This is peaceful and orderly transition of power. "