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Presidential inaugurations
Friday will see the 58th inauguration of a United States president.
As Ronald Reagan said during his 1981 inaugural address, "Few of us stop to think how unique we really are. In the eyes of many in the world, this every-four-year ceremony we accept as normal is nothing less than a miracle."
What is required?
When the constitution was ratified in 1789, the wording of the president's oath was prescribed but no date was given as to when it was to be administered while the words to the vice president's oath were not provided.
March 4 inaugural date
The Congress, which operated under the Articles of Confederation, selected March 4, 1789, as the day to hand over power to the government organized under our present Constitution.
But the new Congress had trouble getting enough members for a quorum. This is why our nation's first president was inaugurated on April 30, 1789.
In 1791, Congress moved its first day of business to Dec. 1, and set March 4, as the last day of its two-year session.
The lengthy period between Dec. 1, and March 4, turned out to be, at times, a dangerous lame duck session for both the outgoing Congress and president.
That period in 1860-61 nearly destroyed the nation as James Buchanan, outgoing president, took no action and Abraham Lincoln watched helplessly as state after state seceded and federal arsenals and forts were seized.
While no change in date took place after the Civil War it was changed following the election of 1932. The defeated Hoover tried to force the president-elect, Franklin Roosevelt to abandon his proposals for economic reform. Roosevelt refused to commit himself and the uncertainty this produced led the financial system to the brink of collapse.
Ratified in 1933, the 20th or "lame duck" Amendment cut the waiting period almost in half, moving it to January 20, two weeks after the Electoral College's votes are certified by the president of the Senate.
Taken the oath more times
Who has taken the oath the greatest number of times?
Franklin Roosevelt was elected and took the oath four times while Barack Obama took it five times.
At his first inauguration, Chief Justice John Roberts botched the wording in the oath. So that no one could challenge Obama's authority, Roberts correctly completed the oath days later in a private ceremony in the White House and a bit later in a second public ceremony on Capitol Hill.
Jan. 20, 2012, was a Sunday and so Obama took the oath in a private ceremony in the White House with a fifth recitation made the next day, Jan. 21, in the public inauguration.
Swear or affirm
As stated in the constitution, the oath taker may say, "I do solemnly affirm," instead of "swear." This was likely inserted for Christians who took the Bible's prohibition against oath taking. Franklin Pierce was the only president known to have taken this option.
Ways to administer oath
Wedding vows are sometimes repeated phrase by phrase and other times spoken as a whole, to which the response is given, "I do."
Until the early 20th century, it was common for the person administrating the oath to modify the wording from the first to the second person, as in "Do you, George Washington, solemnly swear," and then request an affirmation. A response of "I do" or "I swear" completed the oath.
Chester A. Arthur responded with the words, "I will, so help me God," while in 1929, Herbert Hoover responded with a simple, "I do."
Four years later, in 1933, Franklin Roosevelt began the change by remaining silent as Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes recited the entire oath, then repeated that oath from beginning to end himself.
By the time of Harry Truman's inauguration in 1949, the oath was repeated back and forth, phrase by phrase. Since 1933, the name of the president has been added to the oath.
George Washington is said to have added the words, "so help me God" when he took the oath, and most presidents since him have included them as well.
Vice president's oath
While the constitution requires the vice-president to take an oath, which upholds the Constitution, it does not provide the wording. Since 1884, the oath for the vice-president is the same as the one used by members of Congress.
While for most of this nation's history, the vice-president's oath was administered in the Senate chambers by a Senate leader, recently it has become custom to do this just prior to the president, on the same platform outside the Capitol.
In 1853, due to Vice President-elect William King's deteriorating health, Congress passed a bill allowing for the oath to be administered to him as he rested in Havana, Cuba.
This Friday, just prior to the President-elect Trump taking his oath of office, Vice President-elect Pence will take his from Associate Justice Clarence Thomas while holding Ronald Reagan's Bible.
Location
From the presidency of Andrew Jackson through that of Jimmy Carter, the inauguration took place on the Capitol's East Portico. Since Ronald Reagan, the ceremony has been held at the Capitol's West Front.
Wintry weather forced the 1909 inauguration of Taft and that of Reagan in 1985 to be held inside.
The burning of the Capitol in 1812 established the tradition of holding the ceremony outdoors. In 1945, due to war austerity measures, the ceremony was held at the While House with few other festivities.
Salute
Immediately after the presidential oath, the United States Marine Band will perform four ruffles (on a snare drum) and flourishes (on a bugle), followed by "Hail to the Chief," while simultaneously, a 21-gun salute is fired using artillery pieces from the Presidential Guards Salute Battery, 3rd United States Infantry Regiment ("The Old Guard"), located in Taft Park, north of the Capitol.
Inaugural address
Newly sworn-in presidents usually give a speech referred to as an inaugural address. Until William McKinley's first inaugural in 1897, the speech was given prior to taking the oath. McKinley requested the change so that he could reiterate the words of the oath at the close of his address.
Fifty-four addresses have been given by 37 presidents. George Washington's second address was the shortest at 135 words while William Henry Harrison delivered the longest at 8,495 words.