As the United States celebrated the 56th formal inauguration of a president, the smooth transition of power in this republic is notable. In early 1801, the nation breathed a sigh of relief when John Adams, a Federalist, peacefully surrendered power to Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican. It was the first time in the young republic’s history that a transition from one political party to another occurred. Throughout history, the failure of such transitions had doomed republics. The nation inaugurated its first president in New York in April of 1789, before the city of Washington became the capital. Subsequently, inaugurations were held in March until 1933, when Constitutional Amendment XX changed the date to January to shorten the time between the election and the beginning of the new president’s term. Inaugurations have varied: The out-going president has not always appeared (Adams did not attend Jefferson’s inauguration); dress has changed through the years; attendees, while usually well-behaved, have occasionally behaved raucously, such as the frontiersmen who rampaged through the White House following Andrew Jackson’s first inauguration; the weather has sometimes been temperate and other times frigid (16 degrees for Grant, 7 degrees for Reagan’s second). The exhibit showcased items from the Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library and represented just a few of the inaugural items held.

Curator: Susan Riggs, Rare Books and Manuscripts Curator; Exhibit design and installation: Chandi Singer, Burger Archives Assistant.