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On the first U.S. Inauguration Day in 1789, President-elect George Washington took the oath of office. That was all the Constitution required him to do that day. But he did something more:
“He gave a speech,” writes Claire Jerry, a political history curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. “Every president since has followed his example and delivered an inaugural address as part of the national celebration.”
There have been 59 inaugural addresses, including the one that Washington gave that day, Jerry tells us. “And while they may have differed in style and even specific subjects,” they all contain certain characteristics, ranging from calls to unify the country to reaffirming national values.
Jerry’s story is accompanied by photos of inauguration-related items from the museum’s collection. There’s a commemorative ceramic pitcher emblazoned with a quote: “We are all Republicans … all Federalists,” from Thomas Jefferson’s first inaugural address in 1801; a button commemorating the 2009 inauguration of Barack Obama features images of Obama and Abraham Lincoln; and the official program from Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1933 inauguration bears the image of a sailing ship navigating rough, blue seas.
Each of these images captures themes conveyed in inaugural speeches. Will Donald Trump’s inaugural speech in Washington today hit the same notes as Thomas Jefferson, William McKinley and Barack Obama? At roughly noon today, we should find out.
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Naomi Schalit
Senior Editor, Politics + Democracy
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Abraham Lincoln’s first inauguration on March 4, 1861.
Bettmann/Getty Images
Claire Jerry, Smithsonian Institution
Inaugural addresses that newly minted presidents have given over the past 250 years have aimed to do several key things, including unify the country and establish the speaker’s qualifications for the job.
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Ethics + Religion
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David B. Parker, Kennesaw State University
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Jason Oliver Evans, University of Virginia
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Environment + Energy
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Tricia Wachtendorf, University of Delaware; James Kendra, University of Delaware
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Science + Technology
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Jesse Rhoades, University of North Dakota; Rebecca Rhoades, University of North Dakota
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Jianqing Chen, Washington University in St. Louis
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Eric Smalley, The Conversation; Matt Williams, The Conversation
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Daniel Freedman, University of Wisconsin-Stout
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Politics + Society
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Jaime L Kucinskas, Hamilton College
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Cassandra Burke Robertson, Case Western Reserve University; Irina D. Manta, Hofstra University
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Dan DeBree, Texas A&M University
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Philip Klinkner, Hamilton College
Though the 22nd Amendment prohibits Trump from being elected president again, it does not prohibit him from serving as president beyond Jan. 20, 2029. A schiolar of politics and history explains.
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