WASHINGTON » Change arrived in America today as Barack Hussein Obama — a native son of the 50th state — was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States.

Before a record crowd estimated at more than 1 million and before the eyes of the world, Obama became the first citizen of African descent to take up residence in the White House.

His roughly 20-minute speech emphasized the intimidating challenges of two wars and a tattered economy that grip the nation, and he summoned its people to overcome these troubles.

“;Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met,”; he said.

Nearly two years after beginning his improbable quest as a little-known, first-term Illinois senator with a foreign-sounding name, Obama moved into the Oval Office as the nation's fourth youngest president, at 47, and the first of mixed race, having been born in Honolulu in 1961 to a white mother from Kansas and a black father from Kenya.

He said today was a moment to recall “;that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.”;

He praised the values that have made America a great nation — “;hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism”; — and he rallied the nation to “;return to these truths.”;

“;This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.”;

Before the speech, Obama placed his hand on the same Bible used on this occasion by Abraham Lincoln in 1861. He initially stumbled over the words as he began taking the oath of office administered by U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts. Obama's wife, Michelle, held the Bible.

The swearing-in took place at about 12:05 p.m. in the nation's capital, about the same time the sun was greeting residents in his native Hawaii roughly 5,000 miles away.

  Hundreds of Hawaii residents traded in their aloha shirts and slippers to make the trek to Washington. Once here, they braved cloudy skies and 30-degree temperatures to be able to witness history.

“;I thought it was great,”; U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka said of Obama's speech. “;To me his message was bringing America together.”;

Margaret Dalzell, of Kahului, Maui, watched the inauguration from a section close to the steps of the Capitol where Obama took the oath of office.

“;To be a part of history was really an incredible experience,”; she said.

Dalzell, 43, said it took three hours to get to her seat but, “;it was worth everything we went through, from the metro, to the crowds, to the wait.”;

She called Obama's speech inspiring.

“;Some of his words were very, very powerful. Some in our group were moved to tears,”; she said.

The celebration was to continue throughout the day in Washington, with the marching band from his alma mater, Punahou School, taking the third spot in the inaugural parade.

Obama's ascendance to the presidency marks not only a new era of American politics, but also a new awareness of Hawaii on the national political scene.

Although he has called Chicago home during most of his adult life, he has kept Hawaii in his life, too, choosing to spend vacations in the islands — most recently in December and August — to visit with family and close friends.

Michelle Obama has said, “;You can't really understand Barack until you understand Hawaii.”;

Today's inauguration caps an historic run that began in February 2007, when Obama stood before the Old State House in Springfield, Ill. — where Lincoln once served — to announce his candidacy.

Lincoln's legacy has been a theme woven throughout the inaugural events for Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, who was sworn in a few minutes before Obama by John Paul Stevens, associate justice of the Supreme Court.

Much of Obama's speech illustrated the onerous task he — and the nation — face, with 11 million Americans out of work and trillions of dollars lost in the stock market's tumble.

Obama emphasized that his biggest challenge is to repair the tattered economy left behind by former President George W. Bush.

“;Our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed,”; Obama said. “;Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin the work of remaking America.”;

  The dawn of the new Democratic era — with Obama allies in charge of both houses of Congress — ends eight years of Republican control of the White House by Bush, who leaves Washington as one of the nation's most unpopular and divisive presidents, the architect of two unfinished wars and the man in charge at a time of economic calamity that swept away many Americans' jobs, savings and homes.

Obama's election was cheered around the world as a sign that America will be more embracing, more open to change.

“;To the Muslim world,”; Obama said, “;we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.”;

Still, he bluntly warned, “;To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.”;

“;To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.”;