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The vice-president-elect takes the oath of office first, and then it’s the president-elect’s
turn to be sworn-in. President-elect Obama will be sworn-in outside the
Capitol. The National Mall will be open to observers and at least 1.5 million
people are expected to attend.
After the ceremony, the president gives the inaugural address. The outgoing
president and first lady depart.
Next, the president enjoys a luncheon hosted by the Joint Congressional
Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC). The attendees are members of
Congress and select guests.
After lunch, the president watches the inaugural parade, which is organized
by the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee. The parade has marching bands,
and people marching on foot and horseback.
The day concludes with the inaugural ball, and there may be several official
balls for the president to attend. President Bill Clinton had 14 balls in 1997 and
President George W. Bush had nine official balls in 2005.
Q: What’s it like to attend the swearing-in ceremony?
The parade and ceremony seem glamorous on television; but watching it in
person can be rough. The ceremony is held outside, and weather in Washington,
D.C., is usually cold in late January. Rain is common, but observers aren’t
allowed to bring umbrellas.
The Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) organizes the event and warns
observers they must be prepared to stand for probably more than three hours
and walk long distances. And the only bathrooms available are portable toilets.
Q: But the balls must be big fun, right?
The balls look really glamorous on television, but some attendees have complaints.
Before the 2001 inauguration of President George W. Bush, regular
attendees complained to reporters that the balls are crowded, the coat-check
lines are long and seating is limited.
Others said they were excited just to be in the same room as the president.
Q: Do kids attend the inauguration?
Presidents often have their children by their side during the swearing-in ceremony.
Chelsea Clinton stood next to her father when he took the oath in 1993. And
two of vice-president Al Gore’s children were present for a bell-ringing ceremony.
Other White House kids have also been part of the events. Amy Carter joined
her father as he walked as the head of the inaugural parade in 1977.
Regular kids are allowed to observe the swearing-in ceremony. But strollers
are forbidden and the PIC recommends leaving small kids at home.
Inauguration Trivia
The road to the White House is filled with fun facts. See if you can guess which president had a historic inauguration:
Q: Who had the shortest inaugural address?
A: George Washington, 133 words in 1793.
Q: Who had the longest inaugural address?
A:William H. Harrison, 8,445 words in 1841. He died 30 days later, and many believed the bad weather at his inauguration caused his pneumonia.
Q: Who was the last president to wear a stovepipe hat to the inauguration?
A: John F. Kennedy in 1961.
Q: Which president was inaugurated on Super Bowl Sunday?
A: Ronald Regan in 1985. The San Francisco 49ers won the championship.
Q: Who was the first president to have his inauguration broadcast on the Internet?
A: Bill Clinton in 1997.
The Obama Girls
Meet Malia and Sasha Obama, the nation’s First Kids.
Malia is 10 years old and was born
on July 4. She takes drama, dance,
piano and tennis lessons. She also plays
soccer, but her dad says she struggles
with the sport because she is tall.
Younger sister Sasha is 7 years old
and also takes piano, tennis, gymnastics
and tap lessons.
Both currently attend the
University of Chicago Laboratory
Schools. They will attend the Sidwell
Friends School in Washington, D.C.,
the same school Chelsea Clinton
attended when her dad was president.
The girls may be part of the first
family, but they aren’t royalty. They
have to choose between a birthday
party or presents from their parents.
For Malia’s birthday, her friends went swimming, saw the movie
"Wall-E"
and made pizzas and sundaes.
Their chores include making their
own bed, cleaning up their play area,
setting the table and rinsing dishes.
They each get $1 per week in
allowance, though their dad admits
he sometimes forgets to pay up. At the
White House, the staff has already
been told not to clean up after Malia
and Sasha. Both girls are expected to
make their own bed every morning.
What happens if the Obama girls
get in trouble? They can expect a lecture
from mom and maybe some
alone time. Michelle Obama will separate
her daughters if they can’t agree.
Black Americans in the White House
Slaves were forced to build the White House. Now a black family is
moving into the White House. Much has happened in the 216 years in between. Here is a timeline of black
Americans and the White House:
1792: Tom, Peter, Ben, Harry and Daniel — five slaves — are listed on the carpenter’s roll for building the White
House. Slaves worked seven days a week during warm months to construct the White House and U.S. Capitol.
1836: President James Madison dies. His slave Paul Jennings, who had served as the president’s “manservant,”
is sold twice before he purchases his freedom. He then writes an autobiography, “The Colored Man’s Reminiscences
of James Madison,” which provides details on the War of 1812, the construction of Washington, D.C., and a
large-scale attempt to free slaves from the capital aboard the schooner Pearl.
1865: Black soldiers march for the first time during the parade for President Abraham Lincoln’s second
inauguration.
1901: Booker T. Washington is the first black American to receive a dinner invitation to the White House. He dines
at the White House on Oct. 16 as a guest of President Theodore Roosevelt.
1914: Civil rights activist and journalist William Monroe Trotter is
removed from the White House for challenging the segregation of white and black government clerks during a meeting
with President Woodrow Wilson.
1929: Chicago representative Oscar De Priest is the first black American elected to Congress. A possible
invitation for his wife to be invited to the White House for the congressional wives caused controversy.
Under pressure, first lady Hoover invites Mrs. De Priest to a private tea party.
1939: First lady Eleanor Roosevelt invites singer Marian Anderson to perform at the White House after the
Daughters of the American Revolution denies the singer a concert at Constitution Hall.
1955: E. Frederic Morrow becomes the first black American to serve in an executive position on a president’s
staff at the White House.
1960s: President Lyndon Johnson appoints black Americans to court and cabinet positions. He also invites
black religious, civic and political leaders to the White House.
1989: Gen. Colin Powell is the first black American to be appointed to the nation’s highest military
post, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
2001: President George W. Bush appoints several black Americans to key positions. Condoleezza Rice eventually
becomes Secretary of State.
2008: Senator Barack Obama is elected President of the United States.
Presidential Pets
The first family moves into the White House after Inauguration Day along with the family pet.
Obama has said he plans to follow through on his campaign promise to Sasha and Malia: a new dog. Many
other presidential children also have brought pets to the White House. See if you can match the pet to the
presidential family:
Match the Presidential Pet to its Owner
Answers Below
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1. Socks the cat. | A. Amy Carter, daughter of President Jimmy Carter. |
2. Misty Malarky Ying Yang the Siamese cat. | B. Caroline and John Kennedy Jr., children of President John F. Kennedy. |
3. Macaroni the pony. | C. Chelsea Clinton, daughter of President Bill Clinton. |
4. His Whiskers the goat. | D. Archie Roosevelt, son of President Theodore Roosevelt. |
5. Algonquin the pony. | E. President Benjamin Harrison. Purchased for grandchildren, ran away when hitched to a carriage. |
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Barack Obama Presidential Inauguration Articles
Reviewing Presidential Inaugural History
The inauguration of the first black president will long be remembered as a momentous day in history, but many past
inaugurals also have had their memorable moments. Inaugurals are a mixture of pomp, festival and gravity, the
American equivalent of a coronation. Their rituals are laden with symbols of national purpose, continuity and
unity. For 220 years, they have marked the peaceful transfer of power, a feat few other countries have achieved.
Obama Presidential Inauguration Schedule & Events
With all of the excitement surrounding the event, it’s easy to forget there have been many inaugurations before it. Over
the years, the inauguration has become highly formalized, with the day’s scheduled events taking on almost ritualistic
significance. A look at the Obama Inauguration schedule, events from past inaugurals and how & when certain inaugural
events became part of Inauguration Day.
Obama Inauguration Facts, Trivia and Information for Kids
Parade, luncheon, ball. Being inaugurated sounds like fun. But what exactly is an
inauguration? What happens? Here are answers to your most pressing questions. Plus Inauguration Trivia, Presidential
Pets and the Obama Girls
Obama's new Home was Slow to Integrate
Not too long ago, Barack Obama would have found when he moved his family to Washington that his daughters
couldn’t attend the same schools white children could. They couldn’t try on clothes or shoes at most
local department stores, or eat at downtown lunch counters. Or see a play at the National Theatre or a
movie just a block or two from the White House.
Top 43 Hits - Memorable Lines from Past Presidential Inaugurals
On January 20, 2009 Barack Obama will stand before Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and swear the
oath prescribed in Article II, Section 1, of the Constitution as the 44th President of the United States.
After taking the oath President Obama will give an inaugural address. Since George Washington's first
inaugural address, many memorable words have been spoken and are among the most enduring and frequently
quoted.
America Receives a Leading Man for the Dramas Ahead
Garrison Keillor
When President Obama takes his hand off the Bible and walks to the Capitol lectern, he carries real power in his pocket,
maybe more than any president since FDR, and some of it he has earned and some is a gift.
Don't Take that Oath, Barack
Mark Bazer
Personally, I'm hoping for a new piece of presidential trivia come Inauguration Day. I'm hoping Barack Obama becomes the
first person elected president to refuse to take the Oath of Office. In other words, I hope he turns down the job.
Don't get me wrong — I like and admire Obama. But that said, and for all Obama's clearly evident wisdom and sound judgment, I just don't
know if president of the United States is the ideal job for him.
Riding on the Wings of Change
Amy Dickinson
Our new president is offering us more than the promise of change. With his historic election, he offered us the
optimistic idea that we can do what we must do. In my experience studying the human condition, we only change
when there is no alternative. And now, there is no alternative. Our national challenges trickle down into our
households. We have family members at war, our jobs aren't secure, our retirement savings seem to be disappearing
and our material lifestyle is under assault.
America in Shock
Nathan Gardels
As we head into 2009, America is in shock. It is not because of the unusual sight of the first black president
taking up residence in the White House. Barack Obama's profile, after all, is familiar to the diverse
population of today's ethnically and racially hybrid America. America is in shock because our economic
and financial landscape is suddenly unrecognizable.
Great Expectations
Cal Thomas
With Barack Obama, it is the reverse. Perhaps because of his
eloquence, lithe body, handsome face and beautiful family (and because he is not George W. Bush),
expectations are so high that they are beyond the reach of any mortal. Perhaps that is why Obama
has been disparagingly referred to as "the messiah" and "the one."
Awaiting the Transformational Presidency
Arianna Huffington
President-elect Barack Obama is obsessed with Lincoln, who changed the country both by changing government policy and by
using the bully pulpit to help us change ourselves.
Europeans Love 'Alabama'
Rick Steves
With a new political era dawning in America, the world is paying attention. I remember the first time my Italian
friends expressed a curiosity and enthusiasm about some black politician named "Alabama." Now everyone knows
Obama's name, and we have a president whom people around the world want to look up to.
Is This the End of Black
Leonard Pitts
Those who claim we live in a post-racial America are guilty of no sin greater than wishful thinking. But
that doesn't make them any less incorrect. Not simply because people are still being pulled over for driving
black but, more fundamentally, because Obama's victory does not mean what some of us think it does. I don't
mean to suggest it does not embody breathtaking progress — it does.
A New Way of Being on this Planet
Robert Koehler
Something has to change about how we conduct our business and live our lives . . . no, that's putting it too mildly. A spiritual
awakening has to occur, the shock and awe of awareness as we look unblinking at the state of the world as it really is.
As the Decider, The True Barack Obama will Become Clear
Jonah Goldberg
Over the interminably long campaign, Obama's positions "evolved" to suit his political needs. This is hardly
extraordinary. Pretty much every successful presidential candidate embarks on a similar ideological migration
Special Inaugural Crossword Puzzle
Can you solve this special inaugural crossword with your mom, dad or your favorite grown-up?
Yes, you can! Kids solve the across clues while adults tackle the down ones.
PET ANSWERS: 1 = C ; 2 = A ; 3 = B ; 4 = E ; 5 = D
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By Emilie Le Beau (McClatchy-Tribune Information Services)
SOURCES: INAUGURAL.SENATE.GOV, PIC2009.ORG, CBS, USA TODAY, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, PEOPLE MAGAZINE, WHITEHOUSEHISTORY.ORG
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