Swearing-In Ceremony for President Barack H. Obama
Fifty-Seventh Inaugural Ceremonies, January 21, 2013
Program
Musical Selections
The United States Marine Band
Musical Selections
PS 22, Staten Island, New York and Lee University Festival Choir, Cleveland, Tennessee
Call to Order and Welcoming Remarks
- Charles E. Schumer
U.S. Senate Photo Studio
Invocation
Myrlie Evers-Williams
U.S. Senate Photo Studio
Musical Selection
Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
U.S. Senate Photo Studio
Vice Presidential Oath of Office
Administered to Joseph R. Biden Jr. by the Honorable Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
U.S. Senate Photo Studio
Musical Selection
James Taylor
U.S. Senate Photo Studio
Presidential Oath of Office
Administered to Barack H. Obama by the Honorable John G. Roberts Jr., Chief Justice of the United States.
U.S. Senate Photo Studio
- Bible Used:
- Attire:
Inaugural Address
‘ Vice President Biden, Mr.’
Read the address
(Time: 18 minutes, 42 seconds; Words: 2089)
Musical Selection
Kelly Clarkson
U.S. Senate Photo Studio
Poem
Richard Blanco
Benediction
The Reverend Dr. Luis Leon
The National Anthem
Beyoncé
U.S. Senate Photo Studio
Location
West Front,
U.S. Capitol
Washington, DC
Weather
Noon conditions: Temperature: 40°. Mostly cloudy with broken mid and high clouds. South winds around 10 mph. Turned colder and breezy during the evening behind an arctic cold front.
Facts, Firsts & Precedents
Inaugural Committee
- Chairman Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Chair
- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)
- Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
- Speaker of the House John A. Boehner (R-OH)
- House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA)
- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Theme: Faith in America’s Future
“Faith in America’s Future” commemorates the United States’ perseverance and unity and marks the sesquicentennial year of the placement of the Statue of Freedom atop the new Capitol Dome in 1863. When the Civil War threatened to bring construction of the Dome to a halt, workers pressed onward, even without pay, until Congress approved additional funding to complete the Dome that would become a symbol of unity and democracy to the entire world.
Slideshow and Videos
Inaugural Ceremonies for Barack Obama, January 20, 2013
U.S. Senate Recording Studio
Chairman Schumer Makes Apple Pie
The Chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, Senator Charles E. Schumer, tries his hand at making the dessert for the Inaugural Luncheon. After lobster and bison, guests will enjoy a Hudson Valley Apple Pie.