Preparatory Events

The historic nature of Obama's election was underscored by several events before Inauguration Day. He resigned from the U.S. Senate effective 11/16/2008 to work on his proposed Cabinet and make inaugural preparations, almost one month before the Presidential Electors elected him to the presidency on 12/15/2008. Biden did not resign from the U.S. Senate until 1/15/2009, one week after the joint session of Congress declared the Obama-Biden team the winners of the election.

As usual, the official planning was undertaken by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies with additional planning by the Presidential Inaugural Committee. The Congressional Committee began its work before the election took place; construction on the inaugural platform began on 9/24/2008, almost three months before the Presidential Electors met to elect Obama and Biden. The Presidential Inaugural Committee planned optional events, such as Obama's travel to DC by train, the parade, and the balls. As usual, the Presidential Inaugural Committee had to raise its own money. In a break with the past, it set limits of $50,000 for individual donations (down from $250,000) and raised $53 million.

Train Procession to Washington DC, 1/17/2009

The Obama team planned commemorative events for the weekend prior to Inauguration Day. On 1/17/2009, he held a town hall meeting in 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, then (with his family) took a special train to Washington DC. This official procession repeated part of Abraham Lincoln's inaugural procession in 1861. The Biden family joined the train ride in Wilmington, Delaware; the train made a stop at Baltimore for a rally before ending its journey at Union Station in Washington DC.

Inaugural Concert, 1/18/2009

The day after the Obama/Biden families arrived in Washington by train, an inaugural concert was held at the Lincoln Memorial. Nearly half a million people attended. The concert, dubbed "We Are One," included readings by celebrities of patriotic passages from the past as well as musical performances.

The King Day of Service, 1/19/2009

The day preceding the inauguration happened to be a national holiday to observe the birth of Martin Luther King Jr. Obama called on the nation to have a King Day of Service that day, and an estimated 13,000 local events were organized. Obama met with families of wounded veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan at Walter Reed Army Medical Center before visiting a homeless shelter with Martin Luther King III. Biden helped with a Habitat for Humanity project. Other members of the Obama and Biden families packed care packages for troops overseas at the Robert F. Kennedy Stadium.

Some non-King Day of Service events took place in the evening. An event called "Kids' Inaugural: 'We Are the Future'" was held at the Verizon Center, at which Michelle Obama encouraged the children to become exemplary citizens by volunteering and becoming active in community affairs. A People's Inaugural Ball was held for people who were not economically able to attend other inauguration events, and an organizer helped provide suitable clothing for those in need. The day ended with dinners to recognize the service of Sen. McCain, Colin Powell, and Joe Biden.

Inauguration Day, 1/20/2009

Obama, Biden, and their wives went to the White House, where they met with outgoing Pres. Bush, VP Cheney, and their wives. Cheney had been injured while preparing to leave office and attended the day's activities in a wheelchair. The party left and proceeded to the U.S. Capitol building. The official inaugural events took place on the West Front of the Capitol building. Dignitaries on the platform included ex-presidents Carter, G.H.W. Bush, and Clinton and their wives, as well as outgoing President G.W. Bush and outgoing First Lady Laura Bush. Former Vice Presidents Mondale, Quayle, and Gore attended with their wives.

The day was partly cloudy and cold, with a temperature of 28 degrees at noon.

The Inaugural Committee planned for the largest attendance at a presidential inauguration in history. It created a perimeter from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, occupying the entire Mall, and set up large television screens called JumboTrons at various places so those gathered could see the proceedings on the platform. An estimated 1.8 million people stood on the Mall, which is considered to have been the largest public gathering in the history of Washington D.C. In addition, the event was the second most watched by television, surpassed only by Reagan's 1981 inaugural. The estimated number of viewers was 37.8 million.

The preliminary proceedings began with Rick Warren, a California pastor whose books continue to be among the best-selling religious books of all time. He was a controversial choice, as his stand against same sex marriage was not acceptable to many Obama supporters. Aretha Franklin sang "My Country, 'Tis of Thee."

The Vice Presidential oath preceded the Presidential oath. Biden chose Associate Justice John Paul Stevens to administer the oath; incoming VPs have been allowed to choose the oath giver since the days of FDR. The current VP oath has the same text as that taken by members of Congress, and Biden had only 17 days before taken the same oath when sworn in as a U.S. Senator from Delaware.

Following Biden's oath, a musical composition named "Air and Simple Gifts," arranged for the occasion by John Williams was performed by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Anthony McGill, Gabriela Montero, and Itzhak Perlman. This performance was partially pre-recorded due to concerns that the cold weather would undermine the musical instruments.

At approximately 12:04 p.m., Chief Justice John Roberts administered the presidential oath to Obama. Obama used a Bible that had been used during Abraham Lincoln's inaugural in 1861, held by Michelle Obama between Roberts and her husband. For the first time since 1929, the CJ misquoted the oath. The misquotation occurred because Roberts began by reciting a larger amount of the words than usual; Obama interrupted him at a point that appeared to be a pause. Roberts then stumbled, reciting "that I will execute the Office of President to the United States faithfully" instead of the constitutional text "that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States." Although Obama began to use the prescribed words, he switched and repeated the words that Roberts had given him. As customary beginning with 1933, both Roberts and Obama added the phrase "so help me God" to the end of the oath. Roberts was embarrassed by the misstep and approached Obama the following day to repeat the oath with the prescribed words.

Inaugural address

Obama's inaugural addressed centered around the themes of accountability and personal responsibility. The 21-minute address (full text here) began with an overview of the challenges facing the new administration, mostly domestically but some foreign challenges. He said "the challenges we face are real. They are serious, and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America – they will be met." Obama referenced the obscure men and women who built the nation, either in the workforce or in the military. Citing the continuing character of the American people, he noted that the nation’s capacity "remains undiminished." The time of "putting off unpleasant decisions… has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America." These two sentences were the most quoted section of the inaugural.

This website contains a video of Obama's inaugural address.

After briefly outlining his agenda for the coming four years, Obama gave a short introduction to his approach to government. "The question we ask today is not whether our Government is too big or too small but whether it works… Where the answer is, yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is, no, programs will end."

Obama's foreign policy was summed up with the statement "America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity and that we are ready to lead once more." He called for stronger alliances, a timely withdrawal from Iraq, and a fresh approach to Muslim nations "based on mutual interest and mutual respect."

Obama ended the address with a civics lesson. While the challenges of the day were new, the "values upon which our success depends – honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosities, loyalty and patriotism – these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded, then, is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility…"

After the end of the inaugural address, Elizabeth Alexander recited the inaugural poem, entitled "Praise Song for the Day." Joseph Lowery, a Methodist minister and an African American, gave the closing prayer, including several instances of humor and rhymes.

At the end of the official ceremonies, the Obamas and Bidens proceeded to the East Front of the U.S. Capitol, where they saw outgoing Pres. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush off. Obama visited the President's Room at the Capitol in his new capacity, where he issued a proclamation to classify the day as a "National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation." He also submitted his choices for the Cabinet to Congress for confirmations.

Inaugural Luncheon

In keeping with the tradition established by the Eisenhowers in 1953, the inaugural luncheon was held in National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol. Special china used during the meal were replicas of that used in the White House during the Lincoln administration to commemorate the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth. Sen. Ted Kennedy had a seizure during the meal and was taken to Washington Hospital Center for medical treatment.

Parade

The inaugural parade began at the U.S. Capitol and proceeded to the White House. The Obamas were provided with a new armored limousine as a security precaution, but one two occasions they walked down Pennsylvania Avenue and waved at the thousands of spectators standing in the 26 degree weather. The Obamas and Bidens observed the 2-hour parade from a reviewing stand in front of the White House. The parade included 13,000 people.

Inaugural Balls

The evening of Inauguration Day was occupied by ten inaugural balls. The Obamas first attended the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball, held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. It was advertised as the first inaugural ball with free or affordable tickets. Other balls at the Washington Convention Center included the regional balls for supporters from the Mid-Atlantic, the Midwest, the West (including American Samoa and Guam), the Obama Home States (IL and HI), the Biden Home States (DE and PA). The Commander-in-Chief's Ball was held in the National Building Museum for certain members of the military and their families. The Eastern Ball was held in Union Station; the Southern Ball was held in the D.C. Armory, and the Youth Ball was held in the Washington Hilton and Towers.

Obama's First Day in Office

In another change from the past, some inaugural-related activities took place on Obama's first full day as President. Just after midnight, the Obamas held a private gathering in the White House attended by some of their earliest supporters and family members.

The day had been declared a national day of prayer, and a formal interfaith service was held in the National Cathedral. The Obamas, Bidens, and Clintons sat in the front row. Approximately 3,000 invited guests also attended. In the afternoon, the Senate confirmed Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, and she took office soon thereafter.

In order to remove any doubt about the legitimacy of Obama's oath the previous day, Chief Justice Roberts administered it again in the early evening of 1/21/2009 in the Map Room of the White House. Some commentators criticized Obama for not using a Bible on the occasion, believing it undermined the Christian influence in the Constitution (although Christ Jesus forbade His followers from taking oaths under any circumstances in Matthew 5:32).

That evening, an inaugural ball was held for staff who had worked on Obama's staff during the election. The Obama for America Staff Ball was held in the D.C. Armory.

Historic Trivia

• Barack Obama was the first African American to become U.S. President.
• Obama was the fifth youngest person to serve as President.
• Biden was the fourth oldest person to take office as Vice President.
• It was the 23d occasion when a Democrat took the oath of office as President
• It was the 23d time that the White House changed hands from one political party to another.
• It was one of the coldest (not the absolute coldest) inauguration day on record.

Popular Vote of 2008

Electoral Vote of 2008

64th Presidential Inaugural (2005)