Washington to Obama: Inaugural Traditions
This illustration depicts Washington's arrival in Trenton, NJ, on his journey to New York. Library of Congress Although the inaugural ceremony has taken place in Washington, D.C. for more than two hundred years, many people do not know the first inauguration took place in New York City. When the founders drafted the Constitution in the late 1780s, they decided that New York would serve as the new government's capital. In 1788, the Confederation Congress scheduled the first inauguration for March of 1789. However, due to strong winter conditions in the northeast, the event was postponed until April. On April 14, 1789, General George Washington received word that he had been unanimously elected president, and soon began his journey north. As he traveled from Mount Vernon, Virginia, to New York, huge crowds of Americans greeted and cheered him along the way. President Washington arrived in New York on April 23, where he was greeted by Governor George Clinton and a large crowd; he was inaugurated on April 30. 
This print from 1789 shows George Washington's inauguration on the second floor balcony of the recently remodeled Federal Hall. Library of Congress Leaders of the recently formed government decided to use the old City Hall building,originally constructed in the early 1700s, as the site for the new capitol. The building stood at the junction of Wall, Broad, and Nassau Streets, in the heart of the city's financial district. Pierre Charles L'Enfant remodeled the building in preparation for its new purpose and it was subsequently renamed Federal Hall. Shortly after completing that project, L'Enfant began work on his most famous accomplishment, designing the new capital city of Washington, D.C.
Washington recited the oath of office on the open air balcony of Federal Hall in front of hundreds of proud and excited Americans. The oath, as found in the Constitution, has not changed since it was first recited: "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." Upon speaking those words, the newly sworn-in President Washington added "So help me, God," a tradition that continues today.
George Washington takes the oath of office.
Library of Congress
President Washington addressing a joint session of Congress following his inauguration on April 30, 1789. Library of Congress After addressing Congress, President Washington and other dignitaries walked to St. Paul's Chapel where they attended a church service. St. Paul's, a chapel of the Parish of Trinity Church, is the oldest surviving church building in Manhattan. While future presidents occasionally attended church on Inauguration Day, Franklin D. Roosevelt is widely credited with starting the modern tradition of attending a church service prior to taking the oath of office. In 1933, he and the First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, attended morning services at St. John's Episcopal Church, also known as the "church of the presidents."
On May 7, 1789, Washington attended a celebration in his honor. Martha Washington did not initially accompany her husband to New York because she had stayed in Virginia to wrap up affairs at Mount Vernon. Although she missed the inauguration, she joined the president for the gala. Although not officially called the Inaugural Ball, that event also led to a modern tradition that officially began with James Madison's inaugural celebration in 1809. Today, multiple balls are held on the evening of Inauguration Day.
This 1861 painting by Daniel Huntington is a romanticized depiction of the receptions that Martha Washington hosted when her husband served as president. Although less stately, the event on May 7, 1789 honoring the first president may have looked similar.
Brooklyn Museum
In 1937, Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first president to be inaugurated on January 20, the date specified by the Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution. Twice since then, and again in 2013, the public inaugural ceremony has been moved to January 21 because the twentieth has fallen on a Sunday. Both Presidents Eisenhower and Reagan had taken the oath privately on Sunday the twentieth.
President Obama (2013) taking the oath of office with both Bibles. Official White House Photo by Sonya N. Hebert The original Federal Hall was torn down in 1812 after the government moved the capital to Washington, D.C. An imposing US Customs House built in the Greek revival style was completed on the former site of Federal Hall in 1842. Today, that building is Federal Hall National Memorial, where the story of the first inauguration and early history of the federal government are honored. Further Reading |