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Procession to the Capitol
Every president has had a form of procession to the swearing-in ceremony, but the procedure we see today
was established in 1849 with Zachary Taylor’s inauguration ceremony.
After being escorted to the White House by the Joint Congressional Committee on
Inaugural Ceremonies — commonly referred to as the JCCIC — the president-elect, vice-president-elect and
their spouses are joined by the outgoing president and vice president to journey to the Capitol for the swearing-
in ceremony. Most presidents have ridden to their inaugurations in a carriage or automobile. Thomas Jefferson and
Andrew Jackson both walked to their ceremonies.
In 1869, Andrew Johnson became the third outgoing president to not accompany his successor on
the procession; Johnson was inside the White House until his term expired at noon, signing last-minute
bills into law.
Vice President's Swearing-In Cermony
The Constitution specifically requires the vice president
and other elected officials to step forward to take
an oath to defend the Constitution, but unlike the presidential
oath, it does not specify the form that oath must
take. Also unlike the presidential oath, a variety of public
officials can and have administered the oath to the
incoming vice president. The oath, dictated by
Congress, is the same one repeated by senators, representatives
and other government officers, and has been
in use since 1884. Since 1981, the swearing-in ceremonies
have been held at the west front terrace of the
Capitol.
President's Swearing-In Ceremony and Inaugural Address
Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution includes the oath of the office of president. The president
is typically sworn in by the chief justice of the Supreme Court in front of the Capitol, though this has
frequently changed due to circumstance. The oath reads:
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) 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.”
And, of course, the president’s swearing-in ceremony
is accompanied by the
inaugural address, which is
often the most anticipated portion of the inauguration.
Though George Washington’s first address was lackluster, other addresses have set the tone for the presidency.
William Henry Harrison gave his inaugural address — the longest on record — in bitterly cold and inclement
weather, which was widely speculated to have caused his death a month later.
MCT POOL PHOTOGRAPH BY WIN MCNAMEE/GETTY IMAGE
President George W. Bush delivers his 2005 inaugural speech after taking the oath of office during ceremonies on the west front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
Departure of the Outgoing President
The 1889 “Handbook of Official and Social Etiquette and Public Ceremonies at Washington”
described the ceremony this way:
“His departure from the Capital is attended with no ceremony, other than the presence of
the members of his late Cabinet and a few officials and personal friends. The President
leaves the Capital as soon as practicable after the inauguration of his successor.”
But from the start — the 1798 inauguration of John Adams, attended by Washington — the public has
always paid a great deal of attention to the outgoing president. In recent years, newly installed presidents
have accompanied their predecessors to a helicopter waiting to see the former president and his spouse off.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
President-elect Woodrow Wilson, left, and President William H. Taft, right, share
a laugh at the White House prior to Wilson’s inauguration ceremony in 1913.
Inaugural Luncheon
This tradition started in 1897, when the Senate Committee on Arrangements gave a luncheon for
President William McKinley. Other presidents played host in a similar manner — in 1945, Roosevelt hosted
more than 2,000 guests at the White House. The tradition did not begin in its current official form until 1953,
when President Dwight Eisenhower and 50 other guests of the JCCIC ate creamed chicken, baked ham and
potato puffs in the Old Senate Chamber. The JCCIC luncheon usually includes speeches, gifts from the
JCCIC and toasts to the new administration.
Inaugural Parade
Going back to the first, the parade is an Inauguration Day standby. When the JCCIC has concluded its luncheon,
the president and vice president will journey down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House amid
streamers, confetti and general celebration.
While the first parades were informal affairs, James Madison was
accompanied by cavalry during his 1809 inauguration, setting the tone for the future. Abraham Lincoln’s second
inauguration in 1865 — 148 years before this year’s swearing-in of Barack Obama — was the first
time blacks were allowed to march in the parade.
Inaugural Parade Route
Inaugural Ball
Though the practice began informally, with multiple balls following Washington’s first inauguration, the
growing number of balls necessitated the construction of dedicated ballrooms in Judiciary Square. Eventually,
the idea of a single ball that could accommodate thousands of guests was embraced by partygoers who
wished to view the newly sworn-in president.
The event was canceled for the first time in 1853, when Franklin Pierce wished to mourn the loss of his son.
Sixty years later, Woodrow Wilson firmly canceled the inaugural ball, and the practice of private parties sprang
up when Warren G. Harding asked for a simple affair without pageantry to mark the occasion of his inauguration. In
1949, Harry Truman revived the practice of the ball, and Eisenhower’s inauguration in 1953 necessitated a
second ball due to great demand for tickets. The number of balls reached a high of 14 during the second
inauguration of President Bill Clinton in 1997.
RICHARD NIXON LIBRARY/NATIONAL ARCHIVES
President Richard Nixon dances with wife Patricia at an inaugural ball in Washington in 1973.
Obama Inauguration Schedule
This is a tentative schedule for the inauguration of President elect Barack Obama and related events.
January 17, 2009
President-elect Barack Obama and his family will begin their trek to D.C. via Amtrak train.
Beginning with an event in Philadelphia, they will also make a stop in Wilmington, Delaware (to pick up Vice-President
elect Joe Biden and family) before another event in Baltimore, Md.
January 18, 2009
There will be a welcome event Sunday afternoon at the Lincoln Memorial. It is open to the public.
January 19, 2009
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Obama and Biden families will dedicate their time to serving others
across D.C. in a National Day of Community Service event. A youth concert will be held that evening at the Verizon
Center in downtown D.C.
January 20, 2009 - Inauguration Day
7 a.m..Visitors can begin entering parade route 9 a.m..Gates to the inaugural ceremony open 10 a.m..Inauguration begins with a musical prelude
The rest of the inauguration program is as follows:
Musical selections: The United States Marine Band; the San Francisco Boys Chorus and the San Francisco Girls Chorus Call to order and welcoming remarks: Dianne Feinstein Invocation: Dr. Rick Warren, Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, Calif. Musical selection: Aretha Franklin Oath of office administered to Vice President-elect Joe Biden by Associate Justice of the Supreme Court John Paul Stevens Musical selection: John Williams, composer/arranger; Itzhak Perlman, violin; Yo-Yo Ma, cello; Gabriela Montero, piano; Anthony McGill, clarinet Noon.Oath of office administered to President elect Barack Obama by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. President Barack Obama inaugural address Poem: Elizabeth Alexander Benediction: The Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery The National Anthem: The United States Navy Band "Sea Chanters"
After the ceremony, the president attends a luncheon organized by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural
Ceremonies (JCCIC) in the Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol.
Following the luncheon, the inaugural parade will go along Pennsylvania Ave., from the steps of the Capitol building to
the White House. In the evening the president attends official balls, which are planned by the Presidential Inaugural
Committee.
January 21, 2009
The newly sworn-in president and vice president will participate in a prayer service.
Barack Obama Presidential Inauguration Articles
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.
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 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.
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