Subject Areas |
Art and Culture
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Visual Arts |
History and Social Studies
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U.S. History - Civics and U.S. Government |
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U.S. History - Other |
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Time Required |
| One to two class periods for each of five lessons |
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Skills |
| primary document analysis
critical thinking
collaboration
brainstorming
information gathering
summarizing
analysis
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Additional Data |
| Date Created: 05/21/02 |
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Date Posted |
| 4/17/2002 |
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I Do Solemnly Swear: Presidential Inaugurations
Introduction
Thomas Jefferson walked to his first inaugural. When it was over, he returned
to his boardinghouse for dinner. All the seats were filled. Andrew Jackson,
having opened the White House to the public—in keeping with a tradition started
by Jefferson—was forced to escape a rowdy mob of well-wishers by climbing out
the window. Ronald Reagan took the oath of office privately on the twentieth
of January, holding the public ceremony the following day, due to a conflict with
the Super Bowl. Presidential inaugurations have been solemn ceremonies
and uninhibited celebrations. They are carefully scripted and they are unpredictable.
They reflect tradition and they reflect the moment. Help your students
reflect on what the Presidential inauguration has become and what it has been,
while they meet a host of memorable historical figures and uncover a sense of
America's past through archival materials.
Learning Objectives
After completing the lessons in this unit, students
will be able to: - Summarize the Constitutional requirements for inaugurations
and the oath of office.
- Identify at least three historical examples of
inaugural exceptions or precedents.
- List other activities that occur at
inaugurations.
- Describe the purpose of an inauguration.
- State
an opinion about what they believe should happen at an inauguration.
Guiding Question:What is required by the Constitution to occur at a
presidential inauguration? What other events occur/have occurred at inaugurations?
Preparing to Teach this Lesson Review the lesson plan. Select a variety of archival
materials from the various lessons to use in discussions of Presidential inaugurals.
Bookmark them if practical. Download and print the archival documents you select
and duplicate copies of each for viewing by students. In an inaugural
year, you can coordinate the teaching of this unit with current events. If you
use the lessons in the week prior to the inauguration, then, immediately after
the inauguration, students can look in the media for examples of the events discussed.
Another approach would be to begin the unit the day after the inauguration. Have
volunteers bring in news clippings the day after the inauguration. Sharing these
would replace the first activity in the first lesson. The
Digital Classroom offers a series of worksheets
for analyzing primary source documents, including written documents and photographs,
that you may wish to use or adapt to help students in reviewing the materials
presented in this unit.
Suggested ActivitiesLesson 1: Swearing-In
Lesson 2: Swearing-In
Musts Lesson
3: Sometimes It's Okay to Swear (or at Least to Affirm): The Oath of Office
Lesson 4: Giving the
Oath / Taking the Oath Lesson
5: Celebrate! Extending
the Lesson
Lesson 1 Swearing-In
Every inauguration is a pivotal event, showcasing the orderly transition
of power in our democracy. But, what is actually required to happen at a presidential
inauguration? Share with the class the photo "President-elect Nixon taking
the oath of office as President of the United States," accessible by a search
for the title in the EDSITEment resource Digital
Classroom. Identify President Nixon. Ask the class what he is doing. Has anyone
in the class had to take an oath (such as the Girl or Boy Scout promise)? What
did the oath say? Why take an oath anyway? The administration of the
presidential oath is a very important event. The lessons in this unit are designed
to help students understand the origin of the events that take place at a presidential
inauguration. Share with the class the digital copy of Jefferson's
letter of March 2, 1801 concerning the inauguration, found in the EDSITEment
resource American
Memory in the Thomas Jefferson Papers Series 1.
General Correspondence. 1651-1827. The letter reads: Sir:
I beg leave through you to inform the honorable the House
of Representatives of the United States that I shall take the oath which the Constitution
prescribes to the President of the United States before he enters on the execution
of his office, on Wednesday the 4th, inst. at twelve o'clock in the Senate Chambers.
The motion
of the Senate made in response reads: The President, elect, of
the United States having informed the Senate that he proposes to take the oath
which the Constitution prescribes to the President of the United States before
he enters on the execution of his office, on Wednesday the 4th, instant at twelve
o'clock in the Senate Chambers: Ordered, that the Secretary communicate
that information to the House of Representatives that seats be provided for such
members of the House of Representatives and such of the public Ministers as may
think it proper to attend and that the Gallery be opened to the citizens of the
United States. What can students learn about Jefferson's swearing-in
ceremony from the letter and the motion? Now have the class inspect one
of the earliest photos of an inauguration, that of Lincoln's
first inauguration, found through a link from American Memory to The Library
of Congress' America's
Library. (Buchanan's inauguration was actually the first photographed.) What
is happening at this ceremony? How is it different from Jefferson's inauguration?
What does this indicate is allowed to change about an inauguration? (NOTE:
For interested classes, more information about Lincoln's first inauguration is
available at Abraham
Lincoln's Inauguration: March 4, 1861.)
Lesson 2 Swearing-In Musts
What is required of the swearing-in?
Only what is discussed in the Constitution. Review Article II, Section 1 Clause
7: Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take
the following Oath or Affirmation: "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." and the 20th Amendment to the Constitution:
The terms of the President and the Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th
of January ... and the terms of their successors shall then begin. (NOTE:
The text of the Constitution
is accessible through the EDSITEment resource Avalon
Project at the Yale Law School.)
Do students think the inaugural ceremony should be more
scripted, or that more requirements for the inauguration should be created?
Lesson 3 Sometimes It's Okay
to Swear (or at Least to Affirm): The Oath of Office
What does
the oath mean? There was a good deal of discussion among the Founding
Fathers as to what the oath should contain. The Digital
Classroom offers an image of Washington's copy of the working
draft of the Constitution, in which you can see an early version of the oath
- near the end of section X -- with Washington's notes of changes proposed by
Madison and Mason. (Note also, at the beginning of Section X, the draft proposal
to refer to the President as "His Excellency.') How does that early oath differ
from the current version? The President swears to uphold the Constitution.
Briefly review the responsibilities of the executive branch specified in the Constitution,
Article II, Sections 2-4: "The President shall be Commander-in-Chief"
of the armed forces and can "require the opinion, in writing, of the principal
officer in each of the executive departments," make treaties, nominate "certain
officers" such as ambassadors and judges, and fill vacancies. The President
"may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the
executive departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective
offices, and he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against
the United States, except in cases of impeachment." The President is
required to give a state of the Union address "from time to time" to Congress
and "may, on extraordinary occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them,
and in case of disagreement between them, with respect to the time of adjournment,
he may adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper." The President can
receive ambassadors, execute the law, and "commission all the officers of the
United States" military. The President is removed from office if impeached
for, and convicted of, treason, bribery or other high crimes or misdemeanors.
Discuss these responsibilities with the class. Now the students know
what the President is promising by taking the oath. Should the President be asked
to make additional affirmations? What oath would the students create?
Lesson 4 Giving the Oath /
Taking the Oath
Share with the class some archival materials and
stories about presidential oath-taking. What traditions have arisen? What precedents
have been set? What exceptions have occurred? Share the picture of the
first
Capitol inauguration found at the EDSITEment resource American
President. It shows Chief Justice John Marshall administering the oath of
office to Andrew Jackson, the 7th President (1829-1837) on the East Front portico,
establishing a tradition for most future Presidential Inaugurations (Presidents
Reagan and Clinton were sworn in on the west side). Rutherford B. Hayes
took the oath in secret in the Red Room of the White House, because the results
of the election of 1876 were so contested. The story
and a picture are accessible through a link from the EDSITEment resource American
Memory. Now look at photos of President
Clinton's inauguration accessible through the link from American
Memory's Inaugurations
Today Learning Page. Ask students to name some of the differences and similarities
between these three inaugurations. What happens at the swearing-in ceremony?
The Constitution does not specify who is supposed to administer the oath to the
new President. George Washington was sworn in by Robert R. Livingston, a state
official from New York. It later became customary for the chief justice of the
United States to administer the oath. Calvin Coolidge was sworn in first by his
father, a justice of the peace, at his home in Vermont. Later, Justice Adolph
A. Hoehling of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia re-administered the
oath of office to him. The Constitution offers a choice. Presidents may
"swear" (on a Bible) or "affirm" their oath (on some other book). Two months before
Franklin Pierce became President, his family -- having already lost two children
to typhus -- was involved in a train wreck in which their only surviving child,
thirteen-year-old Benjamin, was crushed to death. Jane Pierce believed the accident
was a punishment from God for her husband's acceptance of the presidency. As a
result, Pierce chose to "affirm" his oath of office on a law book rather than
the Bible. An image of Pierce's
swearing-in is available through The
American President. (Most presidents, with perhaps three of four exceptions, have elected to use the Bible in their inauguration.) The Constitution does not specify who is to hold
the book on which the President's hand rests. Lady Bird Johnson began a tradition
in 1965 by holding it, as Mrs. Clinton did in 1997, as seen in the photos discussed
above. The Constitution does not specify where the oath should be administered.
Except for the inauguration of George Washington, all presidential inaugurations
have taken place in Washington, D.C. (other than emergency situations - see Extending
the Lesson for more information). Nothing more is prescribed about
the presidential swearing-in than the date and the administration of the oath;
much about the ceremony itself can be changed if desired. Encourage students to
devise a swearing-in plan of their own. For example, if your students could plan
the inauguration ceremonies, would they stick with Washington, D.C., or choose
another location? What building would they choose? The installation used to take
place on the east side of the Capitol, but lately has been held on the west side,
facing the monuments on the Mall. Maybe students would prefer to hold the inauguration
in front of the Washington Monument or some other place of note in the nation's
capitol.
Lesson 5 Celebrate!
The inauguration
of a President is an important transition and a celebration of our democracy.
How have we celebrated? How should we celebrate? Initiate a class discussion about
what else happens at an inauguration other than the administration of the oath.
Students might mention the inaugural address, parades, balls, and so on. Why so
much celebration? Why is an inauguration so important? Take a look at
some of the archival records of inauguration celebrations listed below and discuss
what kinds of activities have preceded and followed inaugurations.
Before the Oath Following are some archival materials of activities
that have taken place before the administration of the oath of office. Choose
some to share and discuss with the class. After the Oath Poetry,
parades, family photos, military salutes, inaugural balls, and fireworks! Share
some of the following archival documents of inaugural celebrations with the class.
After students have reviewed the archival materials, discuss
inauguration celebrations. How have we celebrated inaugurations? How should we
celebrate? Should the event focus only on the Oath of Office, the pledge
to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution? Or, should more happen at the
inauguration? How should the President arrive? Who else should be honored? If
students could organize the inauguration, what activities would they continue
to have? What new activities would students initiate? Who would students invite
to their "party"? Would they invite the candidate who lost? Ask students to explain
why they made the choices they did.
Extending the Lesson
- The Inaugural Address
The inaugural address is central to every inauguration ceremony. In it, the new
President reacts to the events of the day and sets the tone for the next four
years. Inaugural addresses have contained memorable and forgettable prose. If
appropriate to your class, look more closely at the language of some of these
addresses. The text of every inaugural address is available through the EDSITEment
resource Presidential
Speeches. Here are some archival materials relating to Presidential
addresses you may wish to share with your class: - Background
information on George Washington's first inaugural address (April 30, 1789), as
well as digital copies of the original in Washington's handwriting, are available
from American
Memory. Search for the exact phrase "George Washington's first inaugural address,
30 April 1789." Note that the date of the inauguration (originally set for March
4) had to be postponed due to inclement weather.
- A drawing of the
inauguration
of the ninth president William Henry Harrison in front of the Capitol building
is available at The
American President. For his inaugural address, Harrison asked Daniel Webster
for help; the resulting prose is very ornate, filled with classical allusions.
The text
of his speech is available through Presidential
Speeches.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt accepted the presidency during
the Depression crisis. His words soothed the nation: "So, first of all, let me
assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself -- nameless,
unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat
into advance." An image
of the address is available through the Digital
Classroom. The text
of the speech is available at Presidential
Speeches.
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy stirred the nation with his
inaugural address of Friday, January 20, 1961, with such memorable phrases as:
"And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you -- ask
what you can do for your country." A handwritten
draft of Kennedy's inaugural address is available through the Digital
Classroom. The text
of the speech is available at Presidential
Speeches.
- The EDSITEment lesson We
Must Not Be Enemies uses President Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural address
as a model for using archival documents to place an inaugural address into its
historical context.
- In an election or inaugural year, track
news related to the current election campaign and inauguration plans. What contemporary
events resonate with events from the past? The
American President has a feature called Election
2000 designed to help teachers and students follow the 2000 presidential election.
- Inaugural Firsts: This unit mentioned
some inaugural firsts, such as the first inaugural held at the capitol (Jackson)
and the first First Lady to hold the Bible at the swearing-in (Lady Bird Johnson).
Challenge students to discover other inaugural firsts, such as the first inaugural
to be broadcast on telegraph, radio, TV, the Internet? The first to be held on
January 20th? Can the students discover other firsts?
- In times of
the emergency succession of a vice president, some oaths of office have been administered
in unusual circumstances. Students might be interested in researching such events.
Information on emergency swearing-in ceremonies is available from Biographies
of the U.S. Presidents on The
Whitehouse website, accessible through a link from the EDSITEment resource
Presidential Speeches.
On the right-hand side of the White House page are links to information on some
vice presidents who took office upon the death of the President.
- An
Inauguration Day in the Life of a President: Students may be interested
in finding out exactly what a President does on inauguration day. Complete records
are available for some modern Presidents, including:
- A sixth
grader wrote an account of Truman's inauguration day after researching materials
at the Truman Library. January
20, 1949 was written by Colin G., a student at Richardson Elementary in Lee's
Summit, Missouri.
- Lyndon Johnson's presidential diary - starting
with what he had for breakfast -- for January 20, 1965, is available by choosing
the Digital
Classroom's NAIL
Digital Copies Search and searching for "January 20 1965 AND diary" (no commas
within search phrase).
- Poems have been featured at inauguration
ceremonies. Robert Frost composed a poem, "Dedication," for John F. Kennedy's
inauguration. It is available through American
Memory by searching for the title and poet. (At the last moment, Frost instead
recited "The Gift Outright" from memory.) Maya Angelou ("On the Pulse of Morning")
and Miller Williams ("Of History and Hope") read poetry at Bill Clinton's inaugurations.
Additional archival materials relating to inaugural poems: Students
could try writing inaugural poems of their own. - Students might be
interested in seeing early films of inaugurations. American
Memory offers films of Presidents McKinley, T. Roosevelt, and Coolidge's inaugurals.
To find them, go to the Collection
Finder and choose "Motion Pictures" on the right side
of the page; then search for the link "Presidential Inaugurations" on the page that comes up.
What do students notice as they watch? (As might
be supposed, the quality of these films is uneven at best.)
Selected EDSITEment Websites -
American Memory
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amhome.html
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The American President
http://www.americanpresident.org/
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The Avalon Project at the Yale Law School
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/avalon.htm
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Digital Classroom
http://www.archives.gov/education/ -
Document Analysis Worksheets
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/document.html
Many presidential libraries are accessible from the homepage of the Digital
Classroom. -
Presidential Speeches
http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/P/ - A useful
link at the bottom of http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/P/index.htm leads to The
Presidents of the United States (http://www2.whitehouse.gov/WH/glimpse/presidents/html/presidents.html)
at the White House. On the right-hand side of the page are links to information
on some vice presidents who took office upon the death of the President.
- Project Whistlestop
http://www.whistlestop.org/
Kid-Friendly Sites Accessible Through EDSITEment - American
Memory's Inaugurations in American Memory
-
Pomp and Circumstance
http://learning.loc.gov/learn/features/inaug/inaug.html
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Oaths of Office
http://learning.loc.gov/learn/features/inaug/oath.html
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Inauguration Today
http://learning.loc.gov/learn/features/inaug/today.html
America's
Library http://www.americaslibrary.gov
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