A peaceful transfer of power was unheard of in the 18th century. George Washington left after 2 terms in office by choice. In 1800, John Adams ran for a second term against Thomas Jefferson. After a bitter election with John Adams, Thomas Jefferson won. On March 21, 1801, a day after he was inaugurated, he wrote the following in a letter to a friend:
As the storm is now subsiding, and the horizon becoming serene, it is pleasant to consider the phenomenon with attention. We can no longer say there is nothing new under the sun. For this whole chapter in the history of man is new.
Jefferson, Thomas. “The Letters of Thomas Jefferson: 1743-1826 SOMETHING NEW UNDER THE SUN.” From Revolution to Reconstruction. 21 Mar. 1801. 5 Jan. 2009 .
On January 20th, at noon, as specified by the U.S. Constitution (20th amendment), Barack Obama will take the oath of office, with this simple, 36-word, statement:
I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of the President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.
Our school is looking forward to sharing this event with our students. We were worried about streaming, so we resuscitated our old closed circuit TV system. So far, it works.
Here are some sites I have been sharing with my staff:
Inauguration Day 2009- A great resource for the schedule and broadcast information.
http://inaugurationday2009.com/
http://www.hotchalk.com/mydesk/index.php/25-inaugural-addresses
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/government/inauguration.htm
http://inaugural.senate.gov/history/daysevents/index.cfm
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/inaugural-quiz/
TeacherVision-Presidency Lessons
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/us-presidency/teacher-resources/1765.html
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/pihtml/pihome.html
Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremony
Transform Learning ~ written by Samantha Morra 