The Peaceful Transfer of Power - Introduction

On January 20, 2009, Barack Hussein Obama II will (weather permitting) stand on the West Front of the United States Capitol and take the Oath of Office to become the 44th President of the United States. Ever since George Washington became our nation's first President, every man to hold the highest elected office in our land has marked his ascension to power by reciting the following 35 words as prescribed by the United States Constitution.

"I (, full name typically inserted here,) do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

This ceremony and all of the hype that usually comes along with it is often referred to as The Inauguration. As of 2008, the Presidential Oath of Office has been recited by 42 different men on 69 different occasions. Five of those times, the Oath was taken twice by the same man to initiate the same term for different reasons between the five occurrences. 24 different locations have played host to the event in or around 10 different buildings and 1 aircraft. These locations have been in 6 different cities, in 4 different states and 1 federal district.

With all of this information, you can probably tell that the Inaugural ceremony has not always been as "cut and dried" as it may seem. Certainly the Inaugurations we see on TV today have been well scripted events but it is not always so rehearsed. Death, weather, mystery and other circumstances have made the history of taking "the Oath" an interesting subject for me to study over the past month and now I will begin relaying some of these interesting little facts to anyone who cares to read my blog. Starting with a new blog later today we will take a look at every Presidential Inauguration by location. We will start with the one that took place the furthest away from the West Front of the United States Capitol and work our way around to the place where President-Elect Obama will presumably stand to take the Oath of Office. Stay tuned for later today when we take a look at what may have been the least "peaceful transfer of power" this country has ever seen.