Watching the Presidential Inauguration in Class
Teachers Have Resources for Past and Current Inaugurations
Jan 10, 2009
Teachers who held mock elections with their classes can follow up the democratic experience by encouraging students to watch the inauguration. Inaugurations seem, in some ways, undemocratically exclusive. They are invitation only, expensive, and in one specific east coast location. Bringing the presidential inauguration into the classroom makes the process seem more inclusive and personally significant. There are also online activities and classroom assignments to help bring the importance of the inauguration home to students.
Watching Inaugurations Online
Watching historical inaugurations can enhance a student's sense of watching history; Youtube offers a vast collection of past inaugurations, including footage of William McKinley's 19th century inaugural festivities. Because Youtube offers so many duplicate videos, it is better to search for a video than follow a link; the more people watching a video will cause it to drag.
It may be interesting for students to see Richard Nixon's two inaugurations. Most students associate Nixon with a memorized fact of resignation, but watching him say, "But as our eyes catch the dimness of the first rays of dawn, let us not curse the remaining dark. Let us gather the light." in his second inauguration may open minds to the complexity of his presidential nature. Some of other the inaugurations teachers might want to search for and show students include:
- William McKinley's procession
- Teddy Roosevelt taking the Oath of Office in 1905
- Frankin Roosevelt's first inaugural speech, in which he says the famous phrase of "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
- Dwight Eisenhower's second inauguration, in which he eloquently prays for the nation to " pursue the right without self-righteousness, know unity without conformity, grow in strength without pride.
- John F. Kennedy's inauguration, so students can hear the memorable sentence, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."
- Ronald Reagan's inauguration, which was held from the unusual vantage point of the west side of the White House. Students will hear him tell the country, "We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we are in a time when there are no heroes just don't know where to look."
- George H.W. Bush's inauguration, when he asks the nation to become "brighter points of light".
Reading the Text of Inaugural Speeches
Bartleby offers the full text of all of the presidential inaugural speeches, including George Washington's and Abraham Lincoln's. The five presidents who were not inaugurated (Tyler, Fillmore, A. Johnson, Arthur, and Ford) are given biographical sketches explaining why they were not inaugurated.
Just as debates and elections were covered with live streaming online, the inauguration will also be streamed live on all major news outlets, including C-SPAN, CNN (the live stream link is already in place), and Myspacetv. HBO has exclusive rights to the opening ceremonies, and teachers should have their classes watching the inauguration at 11:30 EST on January 20, 2009. During the ceremony, Chief Justice Roberts will swear in the president-elect as the President of the United States, and then students will become part of history as they hear the inaugural address delivered live.
Barack Obama's inauguration will be momentous to watch because of the vast amount of people, immense security, and world-wide focus on a president who has brought great promise and hope.
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