Inauguration Day
Inauguration Day is a significant event in the United States, marking the commencement of a newly elected president's term. Originally celebrated on March 4, the date shifted to January 20 following the ratification of the Twentieth Amendment in 1933, with Franklin Delano Roosevelt being the first to take the oath on this new date during his second inauguration in 1937. The ceremony typically includes the president swearing an oath administered by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, often accompanied by an inaugural address. Inauguration Day events can be influenced by numerous factors, including weather, national mood, and political dynamics, sometimes leading to protests and demonstrations, as seen during various presidencies. When Inauguration Day falls on a Sunday, the oath is taken privately, with public ceremonies postponed. The ceremony's location has varied over time, with many presidents opting for the Capitol's east portico. The day is also marked by parades and festivities, though the scale can vary based on the political context and whether the presidency changes parties. In recent years, the event has also been shaped by heightened security concerns and public health considerations, reflecting the evolving nature of American society.
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Inauguration Day
Inauguration Day marks the beginning of the term of the president of the United States. A president's term originally started on March 4 following an election, until the adoption of the Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution in 1933. Presidents elected since then have taken office on January 20. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the first chief executive to do so at the time of his second inauguration in January 1937. When Inauguration Day falls on a Sunday, the oath of office is administered privately, on or ahead of schedule, but the public ceremonies are generally transferred to the following day. This was the case in 1821, 1849, 1877, and 1917, when the ceremonies took place on March 5, and in 1957 and 1985, and 2013, when they were conducted on January 21. In the future, Inauguration Day will also have to be postponed a day in 2041.
It was more or less by accident that the nation's first president, George Washington, was not inaugurated until April 30, 1789. Part of the cause was delay in assembling a quorum of the legislators who were needed to count the presidential votes. Although they were due in New York City, then the nation's capital, on March 4, it was not until April 6 that a quorum was achieved and the votes counted. Washington was informed of his unanimous election on April 14 and left his home at Mt. Vernon, Virginia, for the capital two days later. After arriving in New York, he took the oath of office on the steps of the old Federal Hall.
At the beginning of his second term in 1793, Washington took the oath in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, then serving as the capital. John Adams was also inaugurated in Philadelphia, in 1797, but by the time Thomas Jefferson was elected, the seat of government had been moved to Washington, DC, and it was there that his inauguration took place in 1801. Escorted by a body of militia and a procession of citizens, Jefferson walked to the Capitol from a nearby boardinghouse and took the oath of office in the Senate chamber. In 1809, James Madison was the first president to take the oath in the hall of the House of Representatives, which was used for the ceremony again in 1813, 1821, 1825, and 1833. In 1817, James Monroe became the first president to be sworn in at the east portico of the Capitol, which became the customary location for the presidential oath-taking for over a century and a half. Some presidents, such as Ronald Reagan, have preferred to be sworn in at the south portico of the Capitol, since that side overlooks scenic lawns and gardens.
Over the years, the inauguration ceremonies have slowly developed into a set pattern. At noon, or shortly thereafter, the chief justice of the US Supreme Court administers the oath of office to the president, who customarily rests a hand on the Bible or another book as they declare: “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” After taking this oath, which is mandated by the Constitution, the chief executive delivers an inaugural address. In 1841, William Henry Harrison gave the longest address (a one hour and forty-five minute speech of some 8,500 words); George Washington delivered the shortest (approximately 135 words) at his second inauguration in 1793. Harrison also has the unenviable distinction of being the only president to die because of his inaugural address: He gave his speech without a coat or hat despite the cold weather, contracted pneumonia, and died a month later.
In the modern era, Inauguration Day is also the occasion for a variety of parades and events in the nation's capital. The size of the parades has varied greatly, depending upon such factors as world and national conditions, the president's personal inclination, and weather. Washington can experience some very severe winter storms in the month of January, and a fair share of inaugural celebrations have been hampered by blizzard or downpour. Even when weather is not an overriding consideration, inaugural festivities usually are more modest when a president is elected to a second term or when a change in the presidency does not involve a change in political party.
Additionally, depending upon the political landscape at the time and the popularity of the president, the day of inauguration has also been marked by protests. Larger-scale examples occurred when thousands of women-suffragists marched down Pennsylvania Avenue in protest on the day before Woodrow Wilson's inauguration in 1913 and when demonstrations against the Vietnam War were held during Richard Nixon's first and second inaugurations in 1969 and 1973. In January 2017, after the highly controversial election of Donald Trump, several groups of people protesting a range of issues (including civil rights) gathered on the day of his inauguration; while most of the protests were peaceful, some turned into violent clashes with authorities. The inauguration of Trump's successor, Joe Biden, in 2021 was marked by especially heightened security in the wake of the storming of the US Capitol by a pro-Trump mob seeking to overturn the election results two weeks earlier. Biden's inauguration also featured social distancing due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Bibliography
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