Inauguration Events for Barack Obama
Historically, the inauguration of a new President includes many events seeped in tradition. On January 20th, 2009, the list of inaugural events include:
- Morning Worship Service, a tradition started in 1933 by Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Motorcade Procession to the Capitol, where President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush will accompany the President-elect Barack Obama and his wife and Michelle to the Capitol for the swearing-in ceremony.
- The Vice President’s Swearing-In Ceremony happens before the President is sworn into office on the steps of the US Capitol.
- The new President’s Swearing-In Ceremony follows and has occurred 54 times, for 43 presidents, in 10 different locations.
- Immediately after the Swearing-In Ceremony, the Inaugural Address is delivered by the new president. The shortest was by George Washington, just 135 words. The longest Inaugural Address was by President William Harrison, who delivered the longest address, at 8,445 words. It is suspected that the bitter cold and rain of that day contributed to his death from pneumonia, just a month later.
Departure of the Outgoing President follows the inaugural ceremony on the front of the U.S. Capitol. - The tradition of the Inaugural Luncheon began in 1953. The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies hosts a luncheon for the new President, VP and dignitaries.at the U.S. Capitol.
- Inaugural Parade then concludes the public events, running down Pennsylvania Avenue, from the Capitol Building to Lafayette Square in front of the White House. The parade become so large, that it is now limited to 15,000 participants.
- The last events of the inauguration are the many Inaugural Balls.
I’ll write about specifics on each of the public events as the date gets closer and details are made public. Stay tuned to The DC Traveler for more information on the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama on January 20, 2009.
Images – Flickr – no parking sign; President Reagan and Inaugural ball – public domain ____________________________________________________
2 Comments
I am thrilled about the President Obama’s Inauguration ceremoney. My problems with it is that ordinary people could not get tickets to this event. I requested tickets the day after the election and my name was suppose to be on a list, but guest what! I didn’t get one, but all the big wigs got them.
I suspect that the number of requests far outnumbered the number of tickets, especially in states closer to DC and in high population states. Surprisingly, a friend of mine who lives in Arizona, with no political connections what so ever, was able to get two tickets.
Remember you can still attend the inauguration, just not in the reserved section.