Special Days of March — March 4th

Theme for the week: Special Days in March

March 1, 2022 (Tuesday)

March 4 was Inauguration Day for presidents until 1937, when it became January 20, where it remains. Well, that’s not quite true, because George Washington’s first inauguration was held on April 30, 1789, and it was held at Federal Hall in New York City because Washington, D.C. was not yet in existence. It is said however, that he was sworn in privately on March 4. His second inauguration was held in the Senate Chamber of Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Monday, March 4, 1793. John Adams, second president, was inaugurated on March 4, 1797, in the House of Representatives Chamber in Philadelphia. Every president after him was inaugurated on March 4, until January 20, 1937, after the date had been changed by amendment to the Constitution in 1933.

Sorry about that, March 4th. You served us well for a very long time, but times changed, and there was no longer any need to wait for you so long after election day in November. The January date gives enough time for the new president to contact his cabinet members and prepare for inauguration.

As we all know, from simple beginnings the inauguration of a president in the United States has become a “bigger than life” observance, with parades, balls, parties, dinners, etc. reported in news media world wide. The Constitution requires only that the the oath of office, very few simple sentences, be quoted as a person selected by the new president administers it, but when George Washington was inaugurated in 1789, he insisted that a Bible be fetched so that his hand could be placed upon it as he repeated the oath. The ceremony was briefly delayed as the New York neighborhood was searched for a Bible. As a result, most new presidents, with a few exceptions, have made use of a Bible during the ceremony. It seems that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has become the traditional person to administer the oath of office.

The oath of office is as follows: “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.”