Five Memorable Inaugural Moments

Brittany Baldwin / April 30, 2011

Today marks the anniversary of the first ever Presidential Inaugural Address under the Constitution. Let’s look at five that stand out.

1. April 30, 1789, George Washington’s First Inaugural:  Neither the Constitution nor Congress required Washington to deliver an inaugural. But Washington set the bar high for his successors. The only president to be unanimously elected, Washington admitted that he had hoped to retire to Mount Vernon, but, he declared, “I was summoned by my country, whose voice I can never hear but with veneration and love.” His presence was a unifying force for the fragile states under the new Constitution.  Washington reminded his fellow citizens to never forget the “divine blessings” that enabled the Founders to establish a new government.
2. March 1, 1801, Thomas Jefferson’s First Inaugural: People wondered if the first transfer of power (from the Federalist party to the Democratic-Republican party) would send the new nation into chaos. But just as Jefferson’s pen united the colonists during the American Revolution, his eloquence quelled their fears during the “Revolution of 1800.” Amidst murmurs of concern, Jefferson exclaimed: “We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists.” (more…)