Online NewsHour: Inaugural '97

The Online NewsHour presents RealAudio of:

President Clinton's Inaugural Address.

Historians, Shields & Gigot react to the President's inaugural.

NewsHour historians put second inaugurals in some context.

William J. Clinton takes the Presidential Oath of Office.

Al Gore is sworn into his second Vice Presidential term.

Miller Williams recites his Inaugural Poem.
Senator John Warner (R-VA), Reverand Billy Graham and Eagle Scout David Morales open the 1997 Presidential Inaugural.

Internet Re-Broadcast!

Click here to listen to the re-broadcast of Inauguration Day's coverage. Jim Lehrer hosted our coverage in RealAudio directly from the U.S. Capitol. The Online NewsHour's live RealAudio broadcast is sponsored by

The Broadcast Network On The Internet

The live Internet Broadcast will require a RealAudio player that you can download here.

If you haven't already, check out our new feature:

Exclusive Online NewsHour
coverage of the 105th Congress

INAUGURAL '97

Citizens React
JAN. 20, 1997 -- On a cold January day, President Clinton's Inaugural message of national reconciliation was warmly received by the crowd of approximately 250,000 gathered at the foot of the U.S. Capitol.

How Did It Play?
JAN. 20, 1997 -- Political columnists Mark Shields and Paul Gigot join the NewsHour historians in discussing the impact of President Clinton's second Inaugural Address.

A Day in History
JAN. 20, 1997 -- President Clinton took the oath of office for a second term on Monday. Kwame Holman reports on the day's events that made up the nation’s 53rd Presidential inaugural.

The Long View
JAN. 20, 1997 -- The NewsHour's historians are joined by Presidential scholars Stephen Ambrose and Roger Wilkins to debate President Clinton's second term prospects and the importance of the Inaugural Address.

Megan Woznak, 7, helps her father Steven send an e-mail message to the President.

The Virtual Bridge to the 21st Century
JAN. 19, 1997 -- Despite frigid temperatures and gusting winds, tens of thousands of people from across the country converged on the Mall for two days of speeches, performances and technological demonstrations.

Inaugural Quiz
Who had to run away from his own Presidential Inaugural Ball? What was dubbed the most boring inaugural speech ever? Test your knowledge of inauguration history!
Editors note: This quiz is JavaScript enabled and may cause difficulty for some browsers. Netscape 3.0 or higher is recommended.

Online Forums
Leading up to January 20th's Inauguration, the Online NewsHour hosted a series of forums focusing on the issues facing Bill Clinton in his next term and on inaugurals in general. These forums included:

Visit The Inaugural Classroom, a PBS Online project produced in assocation with the Presidential Inaugural Committee.


Support the kind of journalism done by the NewsHour...Become a member of your local PBS station.

PBS Online Privacy Policy Copyright ©1996- MacNeil/Lehrer Productions. All Rights Reserved.