Culture Spot: Inauguration Day – January 20th 2009

Every four years at noon on the 20th of January in the United States a president-elect is sworn in as President of the United States. If the 20th is a Sunday, then the swearing-in takes place on the 21st. The Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court administers the oath of office. The United States Constitution demands that the new president take the following oath of office in order to take on his functions. He lays his left on the Holy Bible and raises his right had to say:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

To this oath, George Washington at his swearing in added “so help me God.” Since then, every new president has added those words to his oath. Following the oath, bands will play the official march of the President of the United States, “Hail to the Chief” which is followed by a 21-gun salute.

Following this, the new president will give his inaugural address. You can find and read the inaugural addresses of US Presidents at The American Presidency Project by clicking on the year of each president’s inauguration.

Before the oath of office is administered to the president-elect, the vice president-elect will take his oath of office first by swearing to the following oath:

I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same: that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.

Following the swearing-in of the new vice president, bands will play “Hail, Columbia.”

To learn more about all the events that will take place today, visit the Joint Congressional Commission on Inaugural Ceremonies. This site is very nicely done! You can learn about the traditions and ceremonies for this very important day starting with the morning church service to inaugural balls in the evening!

This January 20th, Barack Obama will be sworn in as America’s 44th President, the first African-American president in US history, and Joseph Biden will be sworn in as the US Vice President. Visit the official Inauguration of Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States of America webpage