The History of Inaugurations in the United States
What Parts are Constitutional Law and What Parts are Tradition
What Parts are Constitutional Law and What Parts are Tradition
Introduction to this Series on the Constitution
I am a retired educator of all grades from Pre-K through university, but the majority of my public school teaching experience was with middle and high school students. I primarily taught English, Language Arts, History, and Government.
I am not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV, but my interest in politics and the Constitution began when I was a child: 1) From the age of 5 when my grandmother dragged me with her block after block to register people to vote, and 2) when my 5th-grade class was assigned to memorize and recite the “Preamble to the Constitution.”
The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America
What the Preamble is and what it saysmedium.com
In today’s political climate, I have found that many people do not have a clear understanding of the Constitution of the United States, and this collective ignorance is detrimental to our representative democracy.
My goal in writing this series is to help people to understand the Constitution at a layman’s level. The Constitution is the only document that is the law of the land. The United States of America is a republic and a representative democracy. There are powers in the Constitution that belong to the Federal Government and there are powers in the Constitution that belong to the States. This combination is most likely unique to our Country.
I look forward to your fact-based and constructive comments for this story.
What the Constitution Says about Presidential Inaugurations
On April 30, 1789, George Washington became the first president of the United States, taking his oath of office inside the Federal Hall in New York City, which was the capital of the United States at that time. The oath of office was administered by Robert R. Livingston, the then-current Chancellor of New York, and the entire Congress was in attendance.
The Constitution set the date of the inauguration on March 4, but ironically, counting the electoral votes took longer than anticipated, so the date of President Washington’s inauguration was postponed; the only time in American history that delay has happened. March 4 was already chosen because of the time it took to travel in those days. If March 4 fell on a Sunday, the inauguration was held on March 5.
What is the Constitution of the United States?
The Constitution is THE Law of the USAmedium.com
The presidential oath of office is also Constitutionally mandated and is only 35 words long:
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of the President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.
George Washington swore his oath with his hand on a bible and President Chester Arthur was the first to add the words “…so help me God.” Neither of those traditions is mandated by the Constitution. The new president can “affirm” instead of “swear,” and does not have to put a hand on a bible or any other religious or atheist book unless desired.
In 1933, in part, because travel was faster by then, Article I, Section 4, the March 4 inauguration date, was modified by the 20th Amendment, which changed the inauguration date to the 20th day of January (unless that date fell on a Sunday or on a Federal holiday). The terms of the current President and Vice-President end at noon on January 20, whether there are certified elected successors or not. If there is not a certified election by noon on January 20, the Speaker of the House becomes president until the previous election is certified.
The States send confirmation of their certified electors to the Congress on December 14th after the November election and the Congress counts those certified votes on January 6th of the next year; about two weeks before the inauguration.
The time between the election in November and the inauguration in January is considered the “transition period” for the new president-elect, and the current president is considered a “lame duck,” a Wall Street term that means the person has no “capital” or “currency.”
Because the terms of the current president and vice-president end at noon on January 20, the new president and vice-president take their oaths as close to noon as possible so there is no “vacuum” in leadership. Recently, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has administered the oath to the president, although that is not in the Constitution. The new president and vice-president can select whoever they choose to administer their oaths.
Inaugural Traditions Over the Centuries
Since the Constitution mandates only the date of the inauguration and the oath of office, all other activities related to the inauguration consist of tradition and presidential preference. The traditions have changed over the centuries, of course, including the inaugural address given by the new president almost immediately after the oath is administered.
Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, was the first to take the oath of office in Washington, D.C. in 1801 after that location was chosen for the permanent capital. After his second inauguration, after walking to the Capitol, President Jefferson rode his horse from the Capitol to the President’s House with music and a spontaneous gathering of mechanics from the nearby Navy Yard. This was considered the beginning of the traditional inaugural parade.
Our 2nd president, John Adams, was so angry that he lost the election for a second term to Jefferson, and was also so distraught over the death of his son Charles due to alcoholism, did not attend Jefferson’s 1st inauguration and instead took a 4:00 am stagecoach out of Washington D.C. the morning of the inauguration. President John Adams’ son, President John Quincy Adams (the 6th president), also declined to attend the inauguration of President Andrew Jackson. President Andrew Johnson refused to attend the inauguration of President Ulysses S. Grant.
Until 2021, except for other extenuating circumstances such as illness, sudden death, resignation, etc., all current previous presidents have attended their successor’s inauguration for the past 150 years.
George and Martha Washington danced at a party after his inauguration, and James and Dolly Madison were the first to have an official inauguration ball, which was held at Long’s Hotel in Washington, D.C. Recently the number of types of events prior to and during Inauguration Day, have greatly expanded, often including multiple inauguration balls, primarily hoping to have participation by different demographics and supporters of the new president.
John Quincy Adams was also the first president to wear a suit with long pants (instead of breeches) and to eschew the wearing of a powdered wig.
President Andrew Jackson was the first president to invite the public to his inauguration in 1829, and so many people showed up at the White House that Jackson had to escape out of a window.
President-elect Warren G. Harding was the first to travel to D.C. by car for his 1921 inauguration. The inauguration of President Calvin Coolidge was broadcast over the radio in 1925, and in 1949, President Harry Truman’s inauguration was the first to be televised (although few families had televisions in their homes in those days).
President John F. Kennedy was the last president to wear the traditional stovetop hat, and his swearing-in was the first to be broadcast on television in color in 1961. In 1997, President Bill Clinton’s 2nd inauguration was the first to be live-streamed over the internet.
President George Washington’s first inaugural address was the shortest in American history, at only 135 words. President William Henry Harrison delivered the longest inaugural address, speaking over 8,000 words for more than two hours on a blisteringly windy, cold, and wet day. He also attended his inauguration without a hat, coat, or gloves, and contracted pneumonia shortly thereafter. He died from that illness less than forty days later.
A Unique Inauguration for 2021
Due to the double crises of the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing threats of domestic terrorists, the inauguration of the duly elected 46th president and vice-president of the United States, Joseph R. Biden, Jr. and Kamala D. Harris, will be conducted almost entirely virtually. The swearing-in ceremony will be conducted outside under very tight security overseen by the Secret Service and with relatively few people attending and seated with social distance protocols in place.
Joe Biden, at age 78, will be the oldest person ever inaugurated for president, and Kamala Harris will be the first woman and the first person of color to be inaugurated for vice-president.
There will be no traditional parade down Pennsylvania Avenue, and instead of hundreds of thousands or even millions of people watching from the National Mall (which is closed to the public at this time for security reasons), 200,000 lights were placed on the Mall as “stand-ins” for people, and 56 flags, representing the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the five U.S. territories are flying.
The inaugural parade will be virtual, similar to the Roll Call of the States during the Democratic Nominating Convention, and there will be no balls or parties on Inauguration Day. Almost all the usual traditional and fun-filled events have been canceled because of COVID and domestic terrorism concerns.
The Biden-Harris administration is expected to actually start working on the afternoon of Inauguration Day (“Day One”), instead of waiting until the next day after all of the usual celebrations.
About Me
I am a native Detroiter, a wife, mother, grandmother, business owner, and homeowner, and I am recently semi-retired and loving it. I would love for you to follow me on my Facebook and on my Instagram pages. Any opinions expressed in this publication are my own.
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