Ceremony: "A New Birth of Freedom" John Paul Stevens on January 20, 2009. on January 20, 2009, at the U.S. Capitol. The inaugural ceremony took place at the West Front of the United States Capitol on January 20, 2009. The weather was cold and blustery: at 12:00 pm at
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, located from the Capitol, the temperature was , with wind gusts of . The ceremony opened with the playing of pre‑recorded music and a live performance by
"The President's Own" United States Marine Band, followed by live performances by the
San Francisco Boys Chorus and
San Francisco Girls Chorus. Courtney Williams, Senior Chief Musician and concert moderator for the
U.S. Navy Concert Band, served as the platform announcer. Senator Dianne Feinstein, chair of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies and the first woman to preside over a U.S. presidential inauguration, acted as the day's
Master of Ceremonies. ,
Gabriela Montero,
Yo-Yo Ma and
Anthony McGill performing
John Williams' "
Air and Simple Gifts" at the inauguration. Obama officially became the 44th president at noon during this performance.
Evangelical pastor
Rick Warren delivered the
invocation for the inaugural ceremony, followed by a performance by vocalist
Aretha Franklin, who sang "
My Country, 'Tis of Thee". The program featured a performance of
John Williams' composition "
Air and Simple Gifts",
National Public Radio described the performance by the quartet as "a transporting moment that moved many with its beauty and calm", while
The New York Times called it the "classical-music equivalent of lip-syncing". Aretha Franklin made a fashion statement by wearing a hat with a distinctive
Swarovski crystal-studded bow. Vice President‑elect Biden took his oath from
Associate Justice John Paul Stevens. After he completed his oath of office, Biden received in his honor as the new vice president the first playing of four
ruffles and flourishes and the march "
Hail, Columbia" by members of the armed forces. After the performance of "Air and Simple Gifts",
Chief Justice John Roberts administered the
oath of office to President‑elect Obama shortly after noon. The inaugural ceremony ran longer than scheduled, which delayed the administering of the oath so that it finished around 12:05 pm EST (17:05 UTC). However, Obama officially assumed the presidency at the expiration of President Bush's term at noon under the
Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution. After he completed the presidential oath, Obama received in his honor as the new president the
21-gun salute, and the first playing of four ruffles and flourishes and the march "
Hail to the Chief" by members of the armed forces. Obama delivered his inaugural address to the crowds as the president of the United States following his swearing-in ceremony. Poet
Elizabeth Alexander then delivered the inaugural poem, "
Praise Song for the Day", and civil rights activist
Joseph Lowery, minister of the
United Methodist Church, delivered the
benediction. The
United States Navy Band "Sea Chanters" chorus concluded the ceremony with a performance of the United States national anthem, "
The Star-Spangled Banner". Nearly four years earlier, then-Senator Obama had been one of 22 senators to vote against Roberts during
Roberts' Supreme Court nomination; the inauguration marked the first time a chief justice administered the oath to a president-elect who had previously voted against the chief justice's confirmation. Roberts and Obama made several mistakes as they recited the oath. The proper wording for the oath of office is prescribed in the
Constitution: Roberts had practiced for the ceremony carefully. However, a memo noting his planned pauses in the recitation of the oath failed to reach Obama's staff before the swearing-in. As a result, Obama inadvertently interrupted Roberts during the first phrase, stating "I, Barack" while Roberts was finishing "do solemnly swear". Obama then correctly repeated the entire phrase "I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear." Roberts, who was not using notes, rendered the next phrase as "that I will execute the office of president to the United States faithfully," misplacing the word
faithfully and saying
president to instead of
president of. Obama repeated, "that I will execute", then paused. Roberts attempted to correct the wording, but stumbled: "the off– faithfully the pres– the office of President of the United States." Obama then repeated Roberts' initial incorrect wording. Roberts ended the presidential oath by appending the phrase "so help you God" to the end of the constitutionally prescribed oath, and Obama responded "
so help me God" when he was prompted. Obama had asked previously to include "so help me God" after the oath. Roberts then congratulated Obama as the new president. Although
Robert Gibbs,
White House press secretary, indicated at first that President Obama did not plan to retake the oath, Chief Justice Roberts agreed to re-administer the oath at the request of
White House counsel Greg Craig. The second oath ceremony took place on the evening of January 21, 2009, in the
Map Room of the
White House before a small audience of presidential aides, reporters and a White House photographer. Craig said that the White House ultimately decided to re-administer the oath out of an abundance of caution. Craig added that "the oath of office was administered effectively and ... the President was sworn in appropriately ... But the oath appears in the Constitution itself." No Bible was present during the retake of the inauguration. Obama's address did not have memorable sound bite phrases. Instead, he used traditional references to connect his new administration with the nation's history in a speech that was understated deliberately, according to rhetoric expert James Mackin. Obama concluded the second paragraph of his address by saying, "we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears and true to our founding documents." The speech reinforced words such as "legacy" and "heritage", as well as values such as "honesty", "courage", and "patriotism", which "are old" values. Near the end of the speech, Obama referred to words written by
Thomas Paine in
The American Crisis, which were ordered by
George Washington to be read to his troops: "Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive ... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]." Because Barack Obama's
campaign message focused on the need for change, Mackin noted that Obama sought to reassure Americans that he would operate as president within the margins of the nation's traditions. As part of Obama's call for responsibility, he said, "what is required of us now is a new era of responsibility—a recognition, on the part of every American" and "those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account." Obama quoted the lyrics of the
Jerome Kern and
Dorothy Fields song "
Pick Yourself Up" from the
musical comedy Swing Time, saying that "starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America." In an article for
The New York Times, columnist and former drama critic
Frank Rich noted the link to the lyric in Fields's song from the movie, writing that Obama offered in his address "one subtle whiff of the
Great Depression". Obama's speech contained several
biblical references and was compared to the oratory of the "
black church tradition". Obama also highlighted the United States' religious diversity, referring to the country's "patchwork heritage" as a strength and saying, "We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and non-believers." This was the first time a United States president acknowledged
American non-believers in an inaugural address. Obama's inaugural address received mixed reviews, with some describing the tone of the speech a praiseworthy one of restraint and plain speaking, while others described the speech as low-brow and clichéd. Despite his optimism, Obama was critical of former presidents George W. Bush and
Bill Clinton. The Bush administration was upset about the tone of the speech, saying that the speech veered from that of a ritualistic but respectful thanks to that of a public diatribe. Members of the Republican party viewed the speech as a missed chance to seek unity, while
Rahm Emanuel, Obama's
White House Chief of Staff, described the speech as a reflection of the mandate of the people. In an analysis of the inaugural address, one reporter described the speech as one that emphasized the burdens of the moment and the cloudy future whose challenges may be met with the resolve that is part of our American heritage.
Prayers Obama's selections of Warren and Lowery to deliver prayers for the inaugural ceremony were controversial. Warren had a history of vocal opposition to
same-sex marriage, and Lowery had a background as a
civil rights activist. Neither Obama nor Warren made references during the inaugural program to issues of direct concern to the gay community. In the invocation, Warren asked for "forgiveness for Americans 'when we fight each other' and 'civility in our attitudes even when we differ.'" Warren mentioned Dr. Martin Luther King and Jesus in the invocation, and he concluded the invocation with the
Lord's Prayer. Next, Obama signed orders to officially present the nominations for his
Cabinet and several sub‑Cabinet officials to the U.S. Congress for its approval. The Obamas and Bidens then attended an inaugural luncheon at the U.S. Capitol before traveling from there to the presidential reviewing stand at the White House to watch the parade.
Congressional luncheon As former president George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush began their journey to their
Prairie Chapel Ranch, which is their
Texas home, the Obamas and Bidens joined several congressional guests for the inaugural
luncheon in
National Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol. Guests included top Washington lawmakers as well as former presidents and vice presidents. Commemorating the
Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial, the red and white china used during the luncheon were
replicas of those used in the Lincoln White House. at the
U.S. Capitol. A luncheon at the U.S. Capitol has been part of the inaugural program since 1953 (before that time, the luncheon was usually held at the White House and hosted by the outgoing president and first lady). The menu for the 2009 inaugural luncheon, which often features dishes representative of the home states of the new president and vice president, included seafood stew, duck and
pheasant entrees with
Pinot noir wine, and a dessert of apple cinnamon
sponge cake with sweet cream
glacé. Since 1985, a painting has served as a backdrop for the head table. For the 2009 inaugural luncheon, the featured painting was
Thomas Hill's 1865
View of the Yosemite Valley, a painting that commemorated Abraham Lincoln's 1864 signing of the
Yosemite Grant, which was the first time the federal government protected park lands for public use. During the luncheon, Senator
Ted Kennedy collapsed after suffering a
seizure, and he was transported to a hospital for medical treatment. Early reports about the medical emergency suggested erroneously that Senator
Robert Byrd, the oldest member of the Senate, also fell ill during the luncheon. These reports were later denied,
Inaugural parade Michelle Obama walking the inaugural parade route The inaugural parade route ran along
Pennsylvania Avenue,
N.W. from the U.S. Capitol, ending at the north face of the White House. During most of the parade, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama traveled in the new armored
limousine because of potential security threats. The President and First Lady twice exited their limousine, walking on Pennsylvania Avenue for portions of the parade. Vice President Biden and his wife Jill walked the parade route at several points with their children
Beau, Hunter and Ashley. The parade lasted more than two hours during the afternoon and early evening following the inaugural ceremony. Parade participants included 15,000 people, 240 horses, a
mariachi band, dozens of marching bands, the
Virginia Military Institute corps of cadets, and two drum and bugle corps:
The Cadets and the Colts. Vice President Joe Biden invited several groups from Delaware to march in the parade. The Delaware section was led by the
Delaware Volunteer Firemen's Association of which Biden is an honorary member, the Fightin' Blue Hen Marching Band, The Pride of Delaware, from Biden's alma mater, the
University of Delaware, and the
Delaware State University Hornets Approaching Storm marching band.
NASA astronaut Rex J. Walheim marched in the parade carrying an American flag and wearing a prototype of NASA's next generation
spacesuit. Astronaut
Michael L. Gernhardt drove a prototype
lunar rover in the parade. In addition to Astronauts Walheim and Gernhardt, the crew of the
STS-126 Space Shuttle Endeavour mission also marched in the inaugural parade.
Inaugural balls President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama attended 10 official inaugural balls during the evening of January 20, 2009. Barack Obama wore a new
tuxedo made by
Hart Schaffner Marx, a
Chicago-based menswear company. Michelle Obama wore a white, one-shouldered, sleeveless gown designed by 26-year-old
New York-based designer
Jason Wu, breaking with the recent practice set by former first ladies Laura Bush and
Hillary Clinton, who showcased designers from their hometowns.
Barack Obama Neighborhood Inaugural Ball The Neighborhood Inaugural Ball, one of six balls held at the
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, was the first stop of the evening for the President and First Lady. The Obamas danced their first song as
Beyoncé Knowles serenaded them with her rendition of the
Glenn Miller classic "
At Last". According to the Presidential Inaugural Committee, the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball was the first ball with free or affordable tickets, a contrast to recent history in which "inaugural balls generally have been closed to everyday Americans, populated instead by an exclusive circle of dignitaries and donors." A portion of the tickets for the ball was reserved for Washington D.C. residents.
Other Official Inaugural Balls The nine other official inaugural balls attended by the Obamas that evening included: •
The Eastern Ball,
Union Station, held for guests from the
New England states of
Connecticut,
Maine,
Massachusetts,
New Hampshire,
Rhode Island and
Vermont and the Atlantic territories of
Puerto Rico and the
U.S. Virgin Islands.
James Taylor performed for guests attending the ball. •
The Mid-Atlantic Ball, Washington Convention Center, held for guests from the
District of Columbia and the
Mid-Atlantic States of
Maryland,
New Jersey,
New York,
Virginia and
West Virginia. This ball featured the first 2009 appearance by
The Dead.
After-Midnight Gathering After they made their formal visits to the circuit of January 20 inaugural balls, the Obamas hosted an after-midnight gathering at the White House for 70 of their earliest supporters, close friends and family. Guests who attended the after hours celebration at the White House included
Oprah Winfrey,
Valerie Jarrett,
David Axelrod, Chicago Mayor
Richard Daley, Representatives
Artur Davis of the state of Alabama and
Neil Abercrombie of the state of Hawaii, and Michelle Obama's brother
Craig Robinson. Members of the Illinois congressional delegation also attended the after hours event, including Senator
Dick Durbin and Representatives
Melissa Bean,
Jan Schakowsky,
Luis Gutierrez and
Jerry Costello.
National prayer service On January 21, 2009, President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, gathered at the
Washington National Cathedral for a national day of prayer. At the prayer service, the Obamas and Bidens were joined in the front pew by former president Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary Clinton, who was sworn in as
Secretary of State later that day. The prayer service was attended by about 3,200 other invited guests, including members of the U.S. Congress, diplomats and other dignitaries. The theme of the interfaith worship service reflected inclusiveness and religious diversity, with a mix of
Protestant pastors, female
Hindu and
Muslim religious leaders, rabbis, and
Catholic and
Episcopal bishops who delivered scripture readings and prayers throughout the service. Prayers for the service drew from passages from the
1789 inauguration prayer service of George Washington and the 1865 inaugural address of Abraham Lincoln, including phrases such as "with malice toward none, with charity for all". In her sermon, Watkins integrated passages from a variety of sources, such as passages summoned from sources rooted in the Hindu,
Jewish, Muslim and
Cherokee faiths. ==Unofficial events==