And I will faithfully execute the office President of the United States will be best of my abilities and the Constitution of the United.

So help me God.

Congratulations, Mr President.

Every four years has 1789.

A man has raised his right and taken the oath of office to become the president of the United States.

While all of America watched.

Hello, I'm Grover Silcox.

Welcome to True Stories of presidential inaugurations.

As we approach the forthcoming inauguration, how much do you know about these quadrennial celebrations They are steeped in tradition, custom, ritual and true stories guaranteed to quench your curiosity and enrich your understanding of our democracy.

To help us explore the stories, anecdotes, pivotal moments and fun facts of inaugurations past, present and yet to come.

I am joined by three scholars of American history, Dr Randall Miller, professor of history at St Joseph's University.

Among his many books has co-authored Pennsylvania A History of the Commonwealth and Dr Lindsey, each of INSKEEP, presidential historian and author of the President's Cabinet and the Creation of an American Institution, and Dr Michael Burgner, professor of history at Gettysburg College and co-author of his latest book, The Worlds of James Buchanan.

And Thaddeus Stevens.

Welcome, everyone.

And thank you for joining us on this program.

It's very special program in light of the coming inauguration.

First, why don't we start with a description of what happens traditionally in modern inauguration.

And Randall, you would take that.

I'd appreciate it.

Sean.

And thanks for having me here for this discussion.

What has happened and perhaps projected even what will happen tomorrow on the 20th when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are sworn.

I think it's useful to keep in mind that the Constitution only provides the fact it prescribes what's to happen on inauguration.

I'm going to take 10 second simply to read what is in the constitution and Article 2 Section 1 it is simply states the president shall in effect take the following polls before he enter on the execution of his office, shall take the following oath or affirmation.

And I'm quoting I do solemnly swear or affirm that I will faithfully execute the office, the president of the United States and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, unquote.

That's all this in the constitutional terms of requirement over time.

Congress is some entered in in terms of legislating when the inauguration should be initially March 4th and then we get the 20th Amendment.

So it's switched over to January 20.

But by and large, what the inauguration has become is, as you suggested, a celebration.

The spectacle.

And in the TV age, something performance hardly bound by tradition, often simple but directed by optics, if you will.

We've got the parades.

We now have the poets with their poems.

So we've got all the various posturing of various people who want to be on camera.

We've got, of course, the swearing in, which is almost a sideshow when you see all the performances because it really is performance art now and then we even have the afterward with the inaugural balls.

It etc.

And some people even complain that it's gotten so complicated, it's gotten to be so much a celebration that it's almost a coronation.

And perhaps we should go back to something simpler that focuses on the principle president, the United States swear that oath and understand that a new government is forming and the public bearing witness to it.

Thank you.

You know, our reporter Megan Frank, I checked him with some voters in the Lehigh Valley around the region about their favorite Inauguration Day stories.

Let's take a look.

Voters, I spoke with told me that they always take time to watch each inauguration.

And they say that day represents a new chapter in American history.

Well, my fellow Americans, this is our time.

Let us embrace it.

Why is inauguration day important?

The inauguration is just important because it represents a clean slate and a turning the page.

And every president usually stands up there and promises to of the American dream.

I think that's important to everybody.

Michael, I would like you to expand on what Joe just said.

Grover, it's a ritual of our democracy and rituals matter.

When they're done in a certain way, people respond to them.

I the most obvious one that I remember would be John F. Kennedy ask not what your country can do for you and what you can do for your country.

That actually made a big difference for a lot of people.

But the swearing in itself, in terms of your question just relates to the fact that we have a functioning democracy, that we can have a peaceful transfer of power and that the government can continue and presumably act in the interests of the American people.

So I think it's really fundamentally that I'd like to ask Lindsay about the first inauguration and those inaugurations that followed.

Well, that's just a great place to start because as both Randall and Michael pointed out, so much of this is governed by Norm and custom and that has to start somewhere.

And so of course, in this instance it starts with Washington.

And actually when we think of the pomp and circumstance surrounding today's inaugurations, so too was his inauguration quite a celebration.

He actually left Mount Vernon on April 14th and went north to New York City, where the federal government currently was and was celebrated by balls and parties and parades and activities.

And so many toasts.

There was a lot of celebratory toasts.

And once he finally got to New York City, the entire harbor was filled with barges and ships and boats that had been decorated to the nines to celebrate his arrival and to transport him into the city where he was then met with thousands and thousands of people.

And so this process was really quite a celebration and set the tone for a big celebrating traditional day where the president would take the oath that continued for several presidents and each transition of power was super important because it established the idea and the precedent that whoever won the election would take over office peacefully.

And the other person would leave, which is no small feat in the 18th century because it had really never been done before.

The next really big moment in inaugural history that we should know about was Andrew Jackson's inauguration when his supporters were so enthusiastic about celebrating his inauguration that they swarmed to the White House, which he had opened up to his supporters and friends to come celebrate.

And there were so many people there that he actually had to sneak out the back window so he wouldn't get crushed by the very enthusiastic crowd.

So big crowds, big celebrations and sometimes some raucous behavior is par for the course for American inauguration.

Yes.

And from what I've read, that celebration at the White House for the Jackson inauguration, they actually had to bring tubs of whisky out onto the lawn of the White House to get people to leave.

And it was actually it was such a damaging process because most of the people that attended wanted a souvenir and so they would snip little bits of the curtains or the carpet or furniture to take with them, which probably was a very exciting memento.

But you can imagine the damage that thousands of people with scissors can do to the White House.

And now we have another shared experience fielded by PBS39 reporter Megan Frank, who do you think gave the best inauguration speech in American history?

Clearly, Lincoln's second inaugural address, it's only 701 words and it took him less than six minutes to read is better than the Gettysburg Address itself.

Now, Randall, you focussed a great deal on the Lincoln administration and abolition and all those surrounding subjects.

What's your take and what do historians generally feel about Lincoln's second inaugural address?

Well, if you just go back and say something about Lincoln's inaugurations, because in one sense the very analogous to our situation today, in fact, in some ways it's almost like somebody wrote part of a script for what is happening today.

There was question whether or not Lincoln would even get to the first inauguration in 1861.

The week before that he was to arrive, there was actually an effort to take over the capital by insurgents who wanted to deny the opening of the electoral ballots much as what happened on January 6.

The difference was, is that the general in charge in Washington, Washington, DC was aware of this and armed the place to the teeth so that didn't happen.

But that was indicative because many people did not accept Lincoln's election.

It wasn't they were saying the election was rigged, it was fraudulent.

It was that Lincoln was, quote, seemingly abolitionists and white southerners were insistent that would made it illegitimate on its face because would pose a fundamental threat to their way of life.

And by the time Lincoln was to be inaugurated, seven states had seceded from the Union.

And of course, he gave his first inaugural address, which itself was important because even though people take the last paragraph out about the mystic chords of memory and the healing, Lincoln made it very clear why what it was necessary for people to have to agree with them to accept his election.

And that was that if you and he was speaking to Southerners especially who had seceded, but others who were thinking along those lines again analogous to today that people who had freely participated in election in the democratic polity should election.e results of that- And if they do not, that is really anarchy and it's the end of the great Democratic experiment.

And by the new 19th century, they were saying we say now supposing the world is watching what America does.

And so Lincoln made that a theme in his first inaugural.

And just by stating clearly that this government in effect, what has the right to protect itself because its purpose was not itself present preservation, it was to preserve the very idea of democratic government.

The second inaugural, of course, was we weren't labor in this very much.

But there's two things I think are important to say about it.

First, who showed up?

And one of the things about a changed America in 1865 is that black troops were part of the ride that ineffect was a part of the parade and the support.

So that's an ineffect saying this is a different United States because now we've got the Emancipation Proclamation and we have an emancipate amendment working its way through.

And the second thing, of course, is the speech itself as the gentleman said, it was very short, but it is very pointed and it was not a speech of triumph was a speech of reflection and referring especially to the Bible and talking about the great sin of slavery that burden America and ineffect not blaming North or blaming South, but in effect calling on all Americans to understand why God does what God does and what we do, what meat we must do.

Remarkable speech and described by Frederick Douglass thereafter.

It's not a speech, but a sermon.

And interesting.

There's a fascinating anecdote about Frederick Douglass visiting the White House during the festivities after the inaugural celebration.

Personally, I think in the great moments of American history.

So there's the celebration afterwards, Frederick Douglass, the great black abolitionist, etc and been forcefully arguing for emancipation, for arming black troops.

Lincoln had met with him and respected him enormously and Douglass was not being allowed in by a couple of guards into the ceremony.

And the word got to Lincoln that Douglass was there and want to be admitted.

And so Lincoln wanted to come in as soon as he saw Douglass, he said.

But there's my friend Douglass and he draws Douglass over him and in public and this is critical.

He wanted everybody to see and to hear this.

Asked my friend Douglass, what did you think of my speech?

And at that moment was conferring upon Douglass, in effect, the kind of equality people talked about.

And so that gesture was itself part of an inauguration setting.

This is a new day.

I have some questions that were called from a ninth grade class at Parkland High School in the Lehigh Valley.

And let me pose them to you.

How many presidents have not gone to the incoming presidents inauguration?

Lindsey no.

Three presidents haven't shown up.

John Adams, which to be fair to John Adams, there wasn't yet a precedent of former presidents doing that.

And he could be forgiven for thinking perhaps that his presence would cause a disturbance or a scandal after that.

Not so much, not a very good excuse.

Then his son John Quincy Adams did not go to Andrew Jackson's inauguration and then Andrew Johnson did not go to the inauguration once he was sort of abandoned by both parties.

Now there have been presidents who haven't gone for sickness or when there is, of course, a death in office and obviously the former president isn't there.

But those three were the big three to skip the right to skip the inauguration.

And here's something from a ninth grader who is paying attention to what's happening with the inauguration so close.

How can we impeach the president, the current president, Michael?

Well, a president has a term of office and four years and their president right through the end of that four years.

So a president could be impeached presumably through the very last day of their presidency if they've committed high crimes and misdemeanors.

It's that simple.

There's perhaps some debate or discussion about whether you can go through and convict a president after the president has left office.

People who believe that you can do that.

Cite the example of a cabinet member in Ulysses Grant's presidency was impeached before the term and it and then was actually tried and acquitted.

Interestingly enough, when the trial was held after the term of office.

So it seems to me that you can make an argument that you can impeach a president right to the end and presumably you can hold a trial after that person leaves office.

Another question, how did we come up with the swearing in ceremony?

I was prescribe.

Now we have or may have covered this, but how much of it is tradition and how much of it is prescribed by the Constitution?

The only think prescribed is you must take the oath of office.

Doesn't say who's to deliver the oath.

It doesn't say the circumstances of it, whether it's to be public or not.

Initially, they're usually did within the House chamber a big enough for both houses of Congress to be there in a joint session, so to speak.

So a lot of it is tradition in parts of Washington.

And Lindsay knows better than anybody basically stepped some of the precedents that we start to think of as required, perhaps because Washington did them.

Yeah.

So there are some things that are really interesting about the oath process.

It is not required that anyone take the oath on a Bible.

That was something Washington did.

But not all presidents have done, actually.

My favorite is John Quincy Adams took the oath on a book of law because then he was taking it on the Constitution, which I think is just remarkable.

But the oath initially was actually asked to someone and then they would say, I do swear I solemnly swear as opposed to today when they actually repeat the entire oath.

And that process started with Franklin Roosevelt.

And we always have the question as to whether Washington actually did add.

So help me God.

After the oath, what should we believe about that?

Lindsay?

Yeah.

So the first amount of evidence that comes from that isn't published until many, many, many years later by some not super reputable sources.

Given that he was asked the oath and he said I do swear or I solemnly swear, it seems pretty unlikely that he would have said he would have included the God portion of that phrase because it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense in the way you answer questions.

But that part definitely wasn't added until later.

And Michael, while we talk about we talked about Lincoln and his momentous speech, actually speeches, FDR also had a very memorable speech, often considered one of the best.

But the only thing we have.

Like Kennedies that's what really sticks out in our memories.

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

And of course, that sentence, which somehow seems to be you know, unnecessary or redundant, actually had great impact at the time because the growing alarm about the state, the economy and the sense that things were were spiraling downhill.

Roosevelt's inauguration takes place in a very uneasy time for America.

I mean, it was a festive event, mind you.

But at the same time, banks closing left and right with the unemployment now reaching 25%.

And that didn't include just people who are underemployed.

People were very, very worried about the future of the country, let alone being able to feed their families.

So Roosevelt has to step to the plate and he does that by telling people it's going to be better, folks, you're going to have a new deal and that new deal is going to focus on your issues, your families, your viability as a citizen.

And he does that.

And of course, he starts out in the first hundred days to immediately move things forward with the help of a course majority in Congress in both the House and the Senate.

And he is able then to pass measures that are going to give people a sense that somebody is in control.

Things are moving in the right direction.

We can get through this and particularly regarding putting money back in the banks or at least not taking more money out of the banks.

His first inaugural was filled with calls to action.

We have to have action going, which was kind of in contrast, at least in the perception of probably most Americans to his predecessor, Herbert Hoover.

And Michael, if you would talk about their ride to the capital for the inauguration, because I understand it wasn't the most spirited conversation in the world.

Quite right, Grover.

Let me just back up and say that there's a big divergence, I think, between the popular perception of Hoover as a do nothing president and historians recognition that Hoover was quite an activist.

Hoover did many things to try to stem the tide of the depression, but he drew the line at direct aid to individual Americans to him that would undermine the whole American spirit and way of life.

And as a result, people were hurting and he wasn't dealing with it.

And that's why he got essentially overwhelmingly defeated in 1932 and historically has been viewed as a very bad president.

What you're referring to, Grover, is the ride that Hoover and Roosevelt made from the White House to the capital.

It was very frosty.

It was frosty because Hoover had expected Roosevelt to sign on to his measures to try to staunch the troubles in the economy.

And Roosevelt was making no commitment to do that.

They met in the White House actually twice Hoover's instigation during the interregnum and Hoover presented various plans that he had drawn up to try to deal with the crisis.

And Roosevelt simply was going to maintain his ability to have maximum flexibility when he took office.

And Hoover was in a still about this.

And so when Hoover and Roosevelt rode to the capital, Grover Roosevelt tried to be affable, tried to be pleasant.

And Hoover was having none of it.

He wouldn't speak to him.

And so Roosevelt at one point, as his recollect the number of books, says the heck with it.

And he just takes his top hat and he starts waving it to the crowd and waving his hand.

Because Hoover just wasn't speaking to him at least Hoover showed up.

So give him credit for that.

Right.

And now we have a reporter Megan Frank with another shared experience from one of our commentators.

Ed, you've watched a number of inauguration.

Which of those really stood out to you?

The inauguration in January of 1981 for Ronald Reagan?

I registered to vote in 1979 when I was 18 and that 1980 was the first presidential election I was able to vote in.

I actually have a photograph.

It's a portrait of Ronald Reagan from the White House that I got as a volunteer and a supporter back in the day.

Now, Randall, we talked about how things shifted politically and economically and in many other ways with Franklin Roosevelt.

But when Reagan became president, we had another shift, more of a political shift, I would say describe it.

Yes.

Although in some ways that political shift wasn't evident with the inauguration so much as the way that the Reagan worked it out while he was being president.

But this is the beginnings of the so-called Reagan revolution that were in many ways the foundation for what conservatism and Joe Gale literally our own day.

We must act today in order to preserve tomorrow and let there be no misunderstood ending.

We are going to begin to act beginning today to put everything in perspective.

I'd like to ask each of you what are the inaugurations or the inauguration resonate you with the most both personally and professionally?

Let's start with Michael.

Sure thing.

I actually have one that does absolutely stand out for me and that would have been January 20th, 1961.

The East Coast was having a major snow event and I was in the front of my home in North Jersey shoveling snow and at one point I just got tired of it and I came into the house and my parents had on the inauguration and I looked and I said, who is that old guy trying to say something?

And it was Robert Cross who was reciting the gift outright.

But from memory because his own poem for the inauguration had And it was really remarkable thing.

And then, of course, as it is a young kid, I got to watch the various people speaking.

Marian Anderson, singing and John F. Kennedy delivering that stirring inaugural address.

So there's no question for me that was the tops.

Let us go off to leave the land we love.

I enjoy you in that because I'm old enough to remember as well.

I think we're about the same age and the whole family was huddled around the set, the color TV set.

Also something new in addition to a young Catholic Irish Catholic president Lindsay.

So I was actually in Washington, DC in 2008 and was able to attend Obama's inauguration, which is to this day the most attended and largest organic inauguration celebration.

And I actually had tickets and I got stuck at that gate that someone had tried to rush in.

So they shut down.

And so we were stuck there for hours.

And it was a particularly cold day in January when I actually was really sick.

So the day itself was kind of terrible.

But I was so grateful that I was there.

And now as a historian, I'm so grateful that I have that memory and can look back on it because it was such a historic moment that my personal sort of discomfort with the day is so overshadowed by the precedent-setting nature of that inauguration.

I remember Aretha Franklin singing America, which was outstanding.

Randall Pursley and I'm with Lindsay and this as well, even though I wasn't there I think that the one that struck me Wilson and most profound effect on me was actually the Barack Obama's in January of of 2009.

And basically because I did come to believe at that moment, despite what we're doing now, that America really had entered a new day, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin again.

The work of remaking America.

It's just a tremendous sense of the promise and the possibility of being realized.

And of course, that's part of what we expect with an inauguration anyway.

It's that it's not about the past so much as it's really a projection for the future.

And so just being witness and that's part of why we have these as public events, whatever the limits is going to be tomorrow for reasons of Covid and reasons of security, Joe Biden has made it clear that this must be a public event because the public event means that I am not only taking the oath of office, I'm making a promise to the people and you witness to this promise I you can thus hold me to it.

Well, I have to leave it at there.

We could obviously do a mini series on this subject, especially with this distinguished panel.

And I want to thank Dr Randall Miller, Dr Lindsey each Levinsky and Dr Michael Brookner for sharing your insights and knowledge with us tonight.

Thanks so much, folks.

Thank you.

I also want to thank my colleagues reporter Megan Frank and our educators Kate Rife Schneider and Carla Kolar for their contributions Pine Grove or Silcox for everyone here at Lehigh Valley Public Media.

Thank you for watching.