Jan 19, 2009

Every four years, January 20 is a significant date in the history and politics of the United States of America. Since 1937, the President-elect of the US has been taking the oath of office on January 20. Following this tradition the President-elect, Barack Obama will be sworn in on January 20, 2009 as the 44th and the first African-American (non-white) President of one of the most democratically progressive countries of the world. The inaugural ceremony traditionally begins around 10 a.m. and lasts for about two hours. 2009 also marks the 220th anniversary of the inauguration of the first President of the United States, George Washington in 1789.

The inaugural ceremony has been one of the most eagerly awaited events by not only the Americans but the entire world at large. The inauguration of the United States President include Swearing-in Ceremony, Inaugural Address, Inaugural Parade and a number of Inaugural balls and galas honouring the newly sworn in President and Vice-President. “Renewing America’s Promise” has been chosen as the official theme of the 2009 Presidential Inauguration.

From the first inauguration of George Washington, in New York City in 1789 to 2009, as the United States prepares for the 56th quadrennial Presidential Inauguration, the swearing-in ceremony represents both national renewal and continuity of leadership as each president has offered a vision for America’s future.

On the occasion of the inauguration of Barack Obama as the President of the United States on January 20, 2009, it would be interesting to know certain facts, traditions, conventions and precedents that have evolved in the inaugural ceremony of the Presidents of the United States.

The first President of the United States, George Washington, was sworn in on April 30, 1789 at Federal Hall, New York. Holding his hand on the Bible, Washington repeated the oath read out by Robert Livingston, the Chancellor of New York. The oath was: “I do solemnly swear 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.” At the end, Washington added a phrase on his own: “So help me God” to conclude the oath that has been followed by all the succeeding Presidents. The ceremonial traditions associated with Presidential Inaugurations such as using a Bible when taking the oath of office, reading an inaugural address, attending an inaugural ball-were all established by George Washington at his first inauguration and have been followed until the present day.

One of the shortest inaugural addresses was delivered by George Washington during his second inauguration in 1793 comprising of just 135 words. On the other hand, in 1841, President William Henry Harrison delivered the longest inaugural address comprising of 8495 words lasting for more than two hours in cold weather. As he had not worn the winter coat, he developed pneumonia and died one month later.

In 1801, Thomas Jefferson became the first President to take the oath of office in the new capital city, Washington, D.C. His inaugural speech was also the first to be reprinted in a newspaper. The first President to be inaugurated on the East Portico of the US Capitol, facing the Library of Congress and Supreme Court was Andrew Jackson in 1829. In 1981 Ronald Reagan broke with this tradition by holding his presidential inauguration at the Capitol’s West Portico which could hold more visitors than the normally used East Portico.

The tradition of the President-elect and the out-going President traveling together in a procession to the inaugural ceremony can be traced to 1837 when President-elect Martin Van Buren and the out-going President Andrew Jackson met and traveled to the Capitol together in a wooden carriage.

Following the Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, the date of the Presidential Inauguration was advanced from March 4 to January 20. The last President to be inaugurated on March 4 after an election year was Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. After his re-election in 1936, Roosevelt was the first President to be inaugurated under the new amendment on January 20, 1937.

Religion has played a significant role in the swearing in ceremonies of the American Presidents.  In 1789, George Washington attended a religious service at St. Paul's Chapel in New York City immediately following his swearing-in ceremony. This feature of Washington's Inauguration was not imitated by the succeeding Presidents. However, Franklin D Roosevelt set a precedent that has been followed by the President-elects on the inaugural day ever since. In 1933, in the morning of March 4, before the swearing in ceremony, Roosevelt went with his wife Eleanor to St. John’s Episcopal Church for a religious service. Manifesting their faith in religion, almost all Presidents since George Washington have placed their hand on a Bible when taking the oath of office. Moreover, all Presidents, except George Washington, have included some reference to the Almighty in their Inaugural Addresses.

John F Kennedy, who became the youngest and first Catholic President of the United States, is well known in history for his famous words in the inaugural address on January 20, 1961: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
The custom of Presidential Inaugural Ball in Washington was started in 1809, exactly 200 years ago at Long’s Hotel in honour of President James Madison and his wife Dolley.  Another tradition of hosting luncheon at the US Capitol for the new President, Vice-President and guests by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) began since 1953 following the swearing in ceremony of  Dwight D ‘Ike’ Eisenhower.

In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge's inauguration was the first to be broadcast nationally over radio waves. In 1949, President Harry S Truman was the first to deliver his inaugural address to a televised audience and John F Kennedy was the first to do so on colour television in 1961. In 1997, Bill Clinton's second inauguration was the first to be streamed live over the Internet.

The inaugural ceremony at the US Capitol on January 20, 2009 will create history. For the first time an African-American (non-white) Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the most powerful country in the world.

As the President of the United States, Barack Obama will inherit the burden of a legacy left by his predecessor, George W Bush that will haunt him for the rest of his Presidency. An economy that is shattered by the breakdown of financial institutions; military involvement of the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan that has failed to find any reasonable solution, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict  in Gaza that has projected the United States as doing nothing to ease the tension in the Middle East, the  terrorist menace that has not abated in spite of the US ‘war on terror’  since 9/11/2001 and a host of other problems and issues that will require superhuman efforts to put in order. Besides, being the first non-white President, Barack Obama’s personal safety will be of prime concern to the security agencies from any assassination plot either from the ‘white’ fanatic racial groups or other vested interests.

Barack Obama may have to spend sleepless nights and his advisers my have to split their hair in figuring out how to put back the already derailed American economy on the right path. His ability to take strategic decisions will be tested while trying to extract the US forces from the Iraqi and Afghani quagmire. He will have to manifest supreme diplomatic skills and mature statesmanship in finding a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem that has defied solution so far under successive preceding Presidents of the US.

There is no doubt that with a new vision and fresh team of secretaries, advisers and administrators, Barack Obama will try his utmost to tide over the monumental problems that face his nation and the world at large. He has been preparing the groundwork since his election in November last year. However, in which direction his Presidency will move and in what way the citizens of the United States in particular and the world community in general will respond to his efforts will be known during the first hundred days of his Presidency.

As Barack Obama swears in as the President of the United States on January 20, 2009, let us wish him success and good luck in leading one of the most matured democracies of the world. The nation which has conferred the supreme power through election to one of the descendants of one of the most deprived communities until half a century ago will see to it that he will succeed as the President, no matter what sacrifices they may have to make, and create history all over again.