subject: The Rich Tradition Of Inauguration Day In The Us [print this page] In the United States, whenever a new President is elected, before he formally starts his term and occupies the White House, he has to attend a ceremony called the Inauguration Day. The most important moment in the inauguration ceremony is when the new U.S. President makes an oath or affirmation before he/she "enters on the Execution" or formally assumes the office of the Presidency. This simple act of executing an oath is a crucial event of the event itself because it is mandated by the U.S. Constitution.
Normally a simple oath-taking ceremony which would last only a few minutes, various traditional events, such as speeches, parades, and balls have been 'added' to the program in past years, making the ceremony what it is today, a day-long affair.
An event richly steeped in tradition, the Inauguration Day usually fell on the fourth of March from 1793 until 1933, but since the ratification of the Twentieth Amendment in 1933, which modified the starting date of the President's term of office, Inauguration Days have since fallen on the 20th of January, with some minor exceptions; Gerald R. Ford's inauguration, for example, took place on August 4, 1974, because his predecessor, Richard M. Nixon, wasn't able to finish his full term of office due to the Watergate scandal and his subsequent impeachment. And about 10 years before that, Lyndon B. Johnson was first inaugurated on November 22, 1963, at 2:37 PM in Dallas, Texas, on the very same day that the supposed President, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated.
Again, with a few exceptions, the Capitol's East Portico served as the backdrop of most Inauguration Days from Andrew Jackson's (March 4, 1829) through James 'Jimmy' E. Carter's (January 20, 1977). But since the inauguration of Ronald W. Reagan on January 20, 1981, the venue has moved to the Capitol's West Front. Cold weather 'forced' the inaugurations of William H. Taft on March 4, 1909 and Reagan in 1985 to be moved indoors, still at the Capitol. However, two inaugurations were 'transferred' to other locations within Washington, D.C. due to the War of 1812 and World War II itself.
What's more, Chief Justices haven't missed a regularly-scheduled Inauguration Day swearing-in ever since Oliver Ellsworth swore in President John Adams, the 3rd President of the U.S. Tradition also dictates that if the Inauguration Day falls on a Sunday, the Chief Justice will administer the oath to the President either on that day itself or on the preceding Saturday privately, and on the following Monday publicly. Such was the case for Reagan, when he was sworn into office privately on January 20, 1985 (a Sunday) and publicly on January 21 of the same year (a Monday).
Such is the rich tradition and/or clock-like precision of Inauguration Days in the United States.
