E-notes from Anne

1) The Constitution originally set a new President's inauguration to be held on March 4th..
a) Why was the date originally March 4?
The Constitution named March 4 as the date for an inauguration, giving electors four months to get to the electoral college – remember, they traveled on horseback and all that.
b) Why and when was it changed? Recognizing that the period between the election and the inauguration had become needlessly long, the Constitution was amended to change the date effective 1937.
c) This year, it will be on Tuesday, January 20 – what is the current rule for setting the inauguration date?
The inauguration date is now, per the Constitution, always January 20th regardless of the day of the week.

2) The Constitution requires the new President to say: I [name] do solemnly swear [or affirm] that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States...etc.
a) What is the difference between swearing and affirming? Swearing connotes a religious emphasis, while affirming is more purely legal.
b) Which wording have most Presidents chosen? All Presidents except one (or maybe two) have sworn, not affirmed. Franklin Pierce (1853) affirmed for sure, and some say Herbert Hoover, as a Quaker, affirmed but the record is unclear.
c) Does the Constitution require the words "so help me God" at the end of the oath? No, the Constitution requires this oath:

I [name] 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.

By tradition but not by law, most Presidents, starting with George Washington, have added "so help me God.". You can hear and see every President since Franklin Roosevelt say these words below or at www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQhWtRW-KKA. Note that Roosevelt was the last one to trust his memory!

3) The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has usually (all but seven times) administered the Presidential oath, although any state or federal judge or notary public is legally able to administer an oath. Only once was the oath administered by a woman - Sarah T. Hughes, a federal judge in Texas who, by chance, had plans to have dinner with President John F. Kennedy the night after he was assassinated. After Kennedy was killed, she was called and told to report to Vice President Johnson's airplane, to swear Johnson in as President. The story goes that she said, "Is there an oath?" and was told "Yes, but we haven't found it yet." Her reply:"Don't worry, I'll make one up." By the time she reached the plane, they realized the oath was written in the Constitution, and she administered it to Johnson there.

4) Usually a Bible has been part of the ceremony.
a) True or False -- The Constitution specifies that a Bible will be used during the presidential oath. False. It's traditional, not constitutional.
b) Will the Bible be open or closed? Obama's choice. Some (like George W. Bush) have used a closed Bible, others an open one --to a random page, or in some cases to a particular verse. Lincoln's was open to Matthew 7:1 ("Judge not, that ye be not judged").
c) Obama will be using the "Lincoln Bible"; how many other Presidents have used this one? (Just one --Lincoln himself.) Was this Lincoln's family Bible? (No, his was in the moving boxes on their way from Illinois. The Justice bought one just for the occasion.)

5) The music at an inauguration is highly proscribed by military tradition.
a) After the oath, you will hear a military band play some "ruffles and flourishes." What are "ruffles and flourishes"? A ruffle is played by a drum, a flourish by a bugle. Here, I'll sing it for you: DUM da da DUM da da DA-A-AH! There are set and strict rules about how many ruffles and flourishes should be played under different circumstances. Four is the highest number and is rserved for the US President and Vice President, visiting foreign heads of state or royalty, military leaders, members of the Cabinet, etc. American envoys get three; major generals get two; and lowly charges d'affaires just one.

b) What song will the band play after the presidential oath? (Hail to the Chief) Does this song have words? Yes, although it is almost always performed by a military band without words. But, if you insist, here they are:

Hail to the Chief we have chosen for the nation,
Hail to the Chief! We salute him, one and all.
Hail to the Chief, as we pledge cooperation
In proud fulfillment of a great, noble call.
Yours is the aim to make this grand country grander,
This you will do, that's our strong, firm belief.
Hail to the one we selected as commander,
Hail to the President! Hail to the Chief!

Hear four ruffles and flourishes and then Hail to the Chief below or at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC837oh98_Y

c) What song does a military band play for the Vice President? (Hail, Columbia!) For a past President? (The national anthem – The Star Spangled Banner). For a President-elect? (The same as for a past President.)

6) What kind of “guns” are fired in a 21-gun salute? 21 howitzers (small cannon). Why 21 guns? I used to believe that it was 21 because shots were fired like this: 1…then 7…then 7…then 6 (adding up to 21, and spelling out the date of the American Revolution) but I just learned that’s a myth. The real answer is that we got it from the British. There were traditionally seven weapons on a ship, and firing seven times (that is, all the available guns) became the highest ceremonial honor. But gun powder got moist on the seas, and a tradition arose in which forts on land would fire three shots for every one from a ship – 3x7=21. I sort of like the 1776 answer better, but there you are.

7) Barack Obama has invited Elizabeth Alexander (a professor of African American Studies at Yale) to read a poem at his inauguration. Only two Presidents have included poets in the past — Robert Frost read for John Kennedy, and Maya Angelou and Miller Williams each read for one of Bill Clinton’s inaugurations.

8) Obama will give an inaugural address. In history, these have ranged in length from:
d) 90 seconds (George Washington) to two hours (William Harrison, in 1841 — and it was cold that day; he caught pneumonia and died a month later; the speeches have been shorter since...)

9) After the inauguration there will be a luncheon inside the Capitol. This will be one of the very few times when the President, Vice President, and all of Congress are in the same building at the same time (because of security concerns.)



		January: *Presidential Inauguration* - ANSWERS 1) The Constitution originally set a new President's inauguration to be held on March 4th.. a) Why was the date originally March 4? The Constitution named March 4 as the date for an inauguration, giving electors four months to get to the electoral college – remember, they traveled on horseback and all that. b) Why and when was it changed? Recognizing that the period between the election and the inauguration had become needlessly long, the Constitution was amended to change the date effective 1937. c) This year, it will be on Tuesday, January 20 – what is the current rule for setting the inauguration date? The inauguration date is now, per the Constitution, always January 20th regardless of the day of the week. 2) The Constitution requires the new President to say: I [name] do solemnly swear [or affirm] that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States...etc. a) What is the difference between swearing and affirming? Swearing connotes a religious emphasis, while affirming is more purely legal. b) Which wording have most Presidents chosen? All Presidents except one (or maybe two) have sworn, not affirmed. Franklin Pierce (1853) affirmed for sure, and some say Herbert Hoover, as a Quaker, affirmed but the record is unclear. c) Does the Constitution require the words "so help me God" at the end of the oath? No, the Constitution requires this oath: I [name] 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. By tradition but not by law, most Presidents, starting with George Washington, have added "so help me God.". You can hear and see every President since Franklin Roosevelt say these words below or at www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQhWtRW-KKA. Note that Roosevelt was the last one to trust his memory! 3) The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has usually (all but seven times) administered the Presidential oath, although any state or federal judge or notary public is legally able to administer an oath. Only once was the oath administered by a woman - Sarah T. Hughes, a federal judge in Texas who, by chance, had plans to have dinner with President John F. Kennedy the night after he was assassinated. After Kennedy was killed, she was called and told to report to Vice President Johnson's airplane, to swear Johnson in as President. The story goes that she said, "Is there an oath?" and was told "Yes, but we haven't found it yet." Her reply:"Don't worry, I'll make one up." By the time she reached the plane, they realized the oath was written in the Constitution, and she administered it to Johnson there. 4) Usually a Bible has been part of the ceremony. a) True or False -- The Constitution specifies that a Bible will be used during the presidential oath. False. It's traditional, not constitutional. b) Will the Bible be open or closed? Obama's choice. Some (like George W. Bush) have used a closed Bible, others an open one --to a random page, or in some cases to a particular verse. Lincoln's was open to Matthew 7:1 ("Judge not, that ye be not judged"). c) Obama will be using the "Lincoln Bible"; how many other Presidents have used this one? (Just one --Lincoln himself.) Was this Lincoln's family Bible? (No, his was in the moving boxes on their way from Illinois. The Justice bought one just for the occasion.) 5) The music at an inauguration is highly proscribed by military tradition. a) After the oath, you will hear a military band play some "ruffles and flourishes." What are "ruffles and flourishes"? A ruffle is played by a drum, a flourish by a bugle. Here, I'll sing it for you: DUM da da DUM da da DA-A-AH! There are set and strict rules about how many ruffles and flourishes should be played under different circumstances. Four is the highest number and is rserved for the US President and Vice President, visiting foreign heads of state or royalty, military leaders, members of the Cabinet, etc. American envoys get three; major generals get two; and lowly charges d'affaires just one. b) What song will the band play after the presidential oath? (Hail to the Chief) Does this song have words? Yes, although it is almost always performed by a military band without words. But, if you insist, here they are: Hail to the Chief we have chosen for the nation, Hail to the Chief! We salute him, one and all. Hail to the Chief, as we pledge cooperation In proud fulfillment of a great, noble call. Yours is the aim to make this grand country grander, This you will do, that's our strong, firm belief. Hail to the one we selected as commander, Hail to the President! Hail to the Chief! Hear four ruffles and flourishes and then Hail to the Chief below or at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC837oh98_Y c) What song does a military band play for the Vice President? (Hail, Columbia!) For a past President? (The national anthem – The Star Spangled Banner). For a President-elect? (The same as for a past President.) 6) What kind of “guns” are fired in a 21-gun salute? 21 howitzers (small cannon). Why 21 guns? I used to believe that it was 21 because shots were fired like this: 1…then 7…then 7…then 6 (adding up to 21, and spelling out the date of the American Revolution) but I just learned that’s a myth. The real answer is that we got it from the British. There were traditionally seven weapons on a ship, and firing seven times (that is, all the available guns) became the highest ceremonial honor. But gun powder got moist on the seas, and a tradition arose in which forts on land would fire three shots for every one from a ship – 3x7=21. I sort of like the 1776 answer better, but there you are. 7) Barack Obama has invited Elizabeth Alexander (a professor of African American Studies at Yale) to read a poem at his inauguration. Only two Presidents have included poets in the past — Robert Frost read for John Kennedy, and Maya Angelou and Miller Williams each read for one of Bill Clinton’s inaugurations. 8) Obama will give an inaugural address. In history, these have ranged in length from: d) 90 seconds (George Washington) to two hours (William Harrison, in 1841 — and it was cold that day; he caught pneumonia and died a month later; the speeches have been shorter since...) 9) After the inauguration there will be a luncheon inside the Capitol. This will be one of the very few times when the President, Vice President, and all of Congress are in the same building at the same time (because of security concerns.)
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