Swearing-In Ceremony for President Barack H. Obama
Fifty-Sixth Inaugural Ceremonies, January 20, 2009
Program
Call to Order and Welcoming Remarks
- Dianne Feinstein
U.S. Senate Photo Studio
U.S. Senate Photo Studio
Invocation
- Dr. Rick Warren
U.S. Senate Photo Studio
U.S. Senate Photo Studio
Musical Selection
- Aretha Franklin
U.S. Senate Photo Studio
U.S. Senate Photo Studio
Vice Presidential Oath of Office
Administered to Joseph R. Biden Jr. by the Honorable John Paul Stevens, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
U.S. Senate Photo Studio
Fifty-Sixth Inaugural Ceremonies
U.S. Senate Photo Studio
Musical Selection
- Yo-Yo Ma
- Anthony McGill
- Gabriela Montero
- Itzhak Perlman
Composed and arranged by John Williams
Presidential Oath of Office
Administered to Barack H. Obama by the Honorable John G. Roberts Jr., Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
U.S. Senate Photo Studio
Fifty-Sixth Inaugural Ceremonies
U.S. Senate Photo Studio
- Bible Used: The Lincoln Bible. The Lincoln Bible was the Bible used by president Abraham Lincoln at his presidential inauguration. The Bible is part of the collection of the Library of Congress. The Bible itself is an Oxford University Press edition published in 1853, has 1280 pages, and measures approximately 15 cm (6 in) in length and 10 cm (4 in) in width, and 4.5 cm in thickness, and is bound in burgundy red velvet with gilt edges.
- Attire: Hart Schaffner Marx suit
Inaugural Address
‘Today I say to you that 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.’
Read the address
(Time: 21 minutes, 21 seconds; Words: 2404)
Benediction
- The Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery
U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms
Benediction at the Fifty-Sixth Inaugural Swearing-in Ceremony
U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms
The Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery gives the Benediction.
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Location
West Front,
U.S. Capitol
Washington, DCWeather
Noon conditions: Temperature: 28°F with winds NNW at 13 mph, gusting to 23 mph. Few clouds at 4,500 feet, overcast at 25,000 feet.
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Facts, Firsts & Precedents
Largest attendance of any event in the history of Washington, DC
Largest attendance of any Presidential Inauguration in U.S. history
First African American to hold the office of President of the United States
First citizen born in Hawaii to hold the office
Highest viewership ever of the swearing-in ceremonies on the Internet
First woman, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, to emcee the ceremony
First inaugural webcast to include captioning
First swearing-in ceremony to include an audio description
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Inaugural Committee
- Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Chair
- Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)
- Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT)
- Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
- Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD)
- Rep. John A. Boehner (R-OH)
Theme: A New Birth of Freedom
The Presidential Inauguration of 2009 took place as the nation prepared to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. The President-elect took the oath of office and addressed the nation from the West Front of the United States Capitol, looking across the National Mall toward the Lincoln Memorial, where many of the sixteenth President’s immortal words are inscribed. Although some inaugural traditions have changed since Lincoln’s time, the swearing-in ceremony continues to symbolize the ideals of renewal, continuity, and unity that he so often expressed.
Slideshow
Nail Driving Ceremony for the 2009 Inaugural Platform
U.S. Senate Photo Studio
Hard hats for Chairman Dianne Feinstein and Sen. Bob Bennett at the Nail Driving Ceremony which kicked-off platform construction for the inaugural ceremonies to be held at the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2009.
U.S. Senate Photo Studio
Protective covering is placed over the fountain on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol during initial preparations of platform construction for the inaugural swearing-in ceremonies to be held on January 20, 2009 at the U.S. Capitol.
Architect of the Capitol
"The presidential inauguration is more than just a celebration of one person's assumption of the presidency," said Senator Dianne Feinstein, Chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, at the Nail Driving Ceremony held Sept. 24,
Architect of the Capitol
"Perhaps January 20th will bring a hint of spring; perhaps it will be bitterly cold. Whatever weather greets our new president, the American people will greet him with faith, pride and confidence in our enduring, ever strengthening democracy," said U.S. S
U.S. Senate Photo Studio
"Before we swear in the president, we have to hammer in the nails and construct a podium where that ceremony can occur. We begin that process today and I'm delighted to be part of it," said Senator Bob Bennett at the Nail Driving Ceremony on the West Fron
U.S. Senate Photo Studio
"On January 20, 2009, Americans and citizens of the world will again turn their attention to the steps of the Capitol to listen to a new President and that leader's vision for a renewed America," said Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pel
U.S. Senate Photo Studio
Acting Architect of the Capitol Stephen T. Ayers speaks at the Nail Driving Ceremony on Sept. 24, 2008, which kicks-off the platform construction for the inaugural ceremonies. The Architect of the Capitol oversees the platform construction.
U.S. Senate Photo Studio
(l. to r.) Sen. Bob Bennett, Chairman Dianne Feinstein, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Acting Architect of the Capitol Stephen T. Ayers, and Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi review the plans for the platform to be constru
U.S. Senate Photo Studio
(l. to r.) Acting Architect of the Capitol Stephen T. Ayers, Chairman Dianne Feinstein, Sen. Bob Bennett, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi hammer nails into a plank to kick-off the platf
Architect of the Capitol
(l. to r.) Acting Architect of the Capitol Stephen T. Ayers, Chairman Dianne Feinstein, Sen. Bob Bennett, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi hammer nails into a plank officially kicking-of
U.S. Senate Photo Studio
(l. to r.) Dennis Capezio, Joe Keibler, Mark Tsirigos, Tom Whitmore, Tim Vandewalle, A.J. Chier, and Perry Caswell stand on an area of the U.S. Capitol's West Front that will eventually be covered by the platform they will help build for the inaugural swe