On especially historic and patriotic days like this one, inauguration day, I always find myself thinking about the past history that led our country to this particular place in time. Because we live in the good old US of A, we’re able to hop in our travel trailers and take a leisurely roll through all 50 states (well… 49 I suppose, if you cross Hawaii off the RV list because of that challenging little float across the ocean).
It’s been awhile since I’ve studied my American history, too, so I always end up needing to look up proclamations, oaths of office, and the constitution itself, just to see what it really says. Today, I looked up the Oath of Office, and thought I’d share it with you. It’s very simple, and is set down in Article II, Section 1, of the U.S. Constitution:
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
As you probably know, the official Oath of Office took place yesterday on the 20th, as is legally required in the constitution.
If you’re interested in learning even more about our past presidents’ inaugurations, Wikipedia has an abundance of information, including which presidents were sworn in by whom, and even audio recordings of the ceremonies.
And for all the latest quirky details from today’s events, you might visit the Huffington Post’s page, where you’ll learn things like the fact that President Jimmy Carter is SUPER EXCITED to be in the front row when Beyonce sings the National Anthem.
Many thanks to all our American Commanders in Chief of every political persuasion, who keep us freely rolling down the highway!