The history behind The Inauguration
The most memorable part might be Beyonce singing the National Anthem, but there is a lot more to it than that.
January 25, 2017
The Inauguration is a tradition of swearing in the new President that has been around since George Washington was elected in 1789. However, there are many aspects of the Inauguration process that have changed throughout the history of America.
So what exactly happens at the inauguration? Most know that Inauguration Day is the day that a new president and vice-president take their place in office, but here are some more detailed parts of the day:
- The new president and vice-president’s terms start at noon in Washington, D.C.
- The ceremony is organized by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies
- The president and vice-president are each given four ruffles and flourishes on drums and bugles and are played their anthems (“Hail, Columbia” for the vice-president; “Hail to the Chief” for the president)
Here are some facts about the Inauguration that most people probably don’t know:
- Thomas Jefferson was the first president to be sworn in to the presidency in Washington, D.C.
- When Ronald Reagan was inaugurated, the process was moved to the western front of the U.S. Capitol to honor Reagan’s Western roots and also because it was ‘more photogenic’ than the eastern front.
- John F. Kennedy was the first president to use the Catholic version of the Bible to swear on, since he was the first Catholic president.
- JFK’s inauguration parade was the first one televised in color on NBC
- William McKinley’s inauguration (1897) was the first one captured on a motion picture camera
- Richard Nixon took the oath of office on two different Bibles, which were both family heirlooms
- Inauguration Day took place on March 4 from George Washington’s second inauguration and changed only to January 20 at Franklin Roosevelt’s second inauguration in 1937
- Inauguration Day is not a public holiday – most are expected to continue working as usual. It is, however, a federal holiday for some federal workers in the D.C. area, to make sure that the areas are cleared
