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Presentation Inaugurations: Stepping into History

Expectations

Image 1 of President's platform inauguration ceremonies January twentieth, 1937. Admit the bearer to the Senate wing of the Capitol and through the rotunda door to the President's platform.

Every four years, on a crisp January day, a president will take the oath of office.

What can we expect on that January day? Who will contribute to the national ceremony? What issues will be discussed in the inaugural address? How will the populace feel about the elected president and the preceding election? What impact might that president have on the nation? Can we expect this process and ceremony, the changing of a citizen to the leader of our nation, to remain the same as our country continues to mature? What might change it?

For now, the national stage is set. History suggests that though the players and the setting may change, we can expect the curtain to rise on a new production every four years. We can look forward to continuing suspense, mystery, drama, comedy and tragedy in this participatory production, the governance of our nation.