#22 - Inauguration Facts

Commemorative Plate of U.S. Presidents, RockiePatch on Etsy, $22

• The Constitution specifies January 20th as Inauguration Day. If the 20th falls on Sunday, a private inauguration occurs on the 20th then a public inauguration takes place on the 21st.
• Before the 20th Amendment, Inauguration Day was March 4th. The date was moved to shorten the lame duck period for presidents during the Great Depression.
• African Americans did not participate in the Inaugural Parade until 1865 when Abraham Lincoln was sworn in. Women didn't participate in the parade until 1917.
• Because there was a mistake in the swearing in of Barack Obama in 2009, he was privately sworn in again to make sure his inauguration was Constitutionally correct.