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January 2013
LESSON PLAN
I Do
Solemnly Swear
CLASS DISCUSSION
Every four years, our President and Vice President Elect are
ushered into office in an official Inauguration, an event that
represents national renewal and continuity of leadership.
Celebrated by lavish galas, festive parades, and countless
souvenirs, the most important part of the Inauguration is the
Swearing-In ceremony. Dating back to our first president,
George Washington, every president has gone through the
pomp and circumstance of swearing an oath and delivering an
Inaugural Address. Today, that ceremony is performed on the
West Front of the Capitol Building in Washington, DC, on the
habitually chilly date of January 20th. And although the most
historically significant event of the day, it is only a fraction of
the celebration entailed in a Presidential Inauguration.
A Day-in-the-life of a President Elect
1.Morning Worship.
President Elect Franklin Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor,
began his first Inaugural Day in 1933 with a prayer service
at St. John’s Church, next to the White House, setting a
precedent that has been followed by every president since.
2.Presidential Procession to the Capitol.
Historically, the President Elect and Vice President Elect
arrive at the White House where they are joined by the
Lesson Plan Continued
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January 2013 Lesson Plan • I Do Solemnly Swear
outgoing President and Vice President in a
procession to the Capitol. This procession began
with George Washington and is the foundation of
the currently elaborate Inaugural Parades.
3. Vice Presidential Swearing-In.
Until 1937 the Vice President Elect took his oath of
office in the Senate Chamber, making it a distinct
and independent event. Since that time the Vice
President takes his Oath of Office on the Inaugural
Platform on the West Front of the Capitol Terrace
where it has gained a public audience, and
reflects the growing political importance of the
Vice President as part of the executive branch of
government.
4. Presidential Swearing-In.
The President Elect takes his Oath of Office on
the West Front Terrace of the Capitol, traditionally
administered by the Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court. With his right hand on a Bible, he says the
words …
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully
execute the Office of the President of the United
States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve,
protect and defend the Constitution of the United
States.
5. Inaugural Address.
Following his oath, the President delivers an
Inaugural Address in which he describes his vision
of America and outlines his goals
for the nation. The
shortest Inaugural
Address ever
was President
Washington’s second
Address of only 135
words. The longest
ever was President
William Henry
Harrison’s at 8,445
words, delivered on a
miserably wet and cold
day. (He died a month later
from pneumonia presumed to
be a product of his exposure
to the elements.)
6. Outgoing Vice President and President
Departure.
The newly elected President and Vice President
escort their outgoing brethren through a military
cordon to the lawn of the Capitol. Here they are
whisked away by plane, train or automobile.
7. Inaugural Luncheon.
Once hosted in the White House by the outgoing
president and his spouse, the Joint Congressional
Committee for Inaugural Ceremonies has hosted
the event since 1953 in Statuary Hall in the Capitol
for the President, Vice President, family members
and Congressional leaders.
8. Inaugural Parade.
The President and Vice President and their families
travel back down Pennsylvania Avenue to the
White House, where they mount a viewing stand
across from the Residence and sit back and enjoy
the Parade.
9. Inaugural Ball.
The tradition of an official Inaugural Ball began
with the one hosted by Dolly Madison. In order
to accommodate the thousands of participants,
temporary structures were once erected in
Judiciary Square. During President Grant’s second
term Inaugural Ball at Judiciary Square, the
weather was so cold that the decorative canaries
froze in their cages. Today the Inaugural Ball is
actually many galas held across the capital city.
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January 2013 Lesson Plan • I Do Solemnly Swear
ACTIVITY
DESIRED OUTCOME
With your students, discuss the Inauguration and
why it is important to the American people in
relation to their President. Why is it important to
hold an Inaugural ceremony and ask our President
to swear by an oath?
Some further questions for discussion:
1. How does a verbal oath hold the President
accountable for his actions? What is the
importance of a promise or contract?
2. What is the significance of the Capitol Building in
the Inaugural Ceremony? What does it symbolize
(think about what happens in the Capitol Building)?
3. Why does the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
administer the oath? Consider the three branches
of government: Executive, Legislative and Judicial
and how they are all represented at a Presidential
Inauguration. Also consider what a judge does and
what he or she represents.
4. At President Obama’s first Inauguration on January
20, 2009 the oath was read incorrectly, with Chief
Justice Roberts misplacing the word “faithfully”.
Roberts readministered the oath to President
Obama the following day in the Map Room at the
White House. Why is accuracy important?
5. After the President takes his oath, he delivers
an Inaugural Address. Why do the President’s
personal words matter to the American people?
As with any contract, the Presidential Oath is a
promise to the American people that our President
will act as a servant to the nation and under the
interest of the US Constitution. It holds our leader
accountable for his actions and solidifies a choice we
have made democratically. We hope that through
this exercise your students learn the importance of
a promise – whether it be made socially, politically,
or within family. Although our Constitution has
guaranteed us the right to make our own choices, its
laws and rules have outlined consequences against
committing immoral, unfair, or hurtful crimes. Our
President is no less immune to that Constitution, and
this Inauguration should serve as an example to the
young minds in your classroom.
Finally, with your students, go through the oath
word-by-word, dissecting it’s meaning. Pick out key
vocabulary words and charge your students with
finding definitions and synonyms. If your class has
weekly vocabulary quizzes, the Presidential Oath is a
great source of material:
1.solemn
2.swear
3.affirm
4.faithful
5.execute
6.ability
7.preserve
8.protect
9.defend
Once your students understand the meaning of the
Oath, assign students the written task of interpreting the
Oath in their own words, or go around the room and ask
each individual student to paraphrase the Oath.
CURRICULUM STANDARDS
I. Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
a.People belong to groups and institutions that influence them and by which they are influenced.
b.Concepts such as: community, role, cooperation,
rules, and norms
c.The impact of religious institutions, government
agencies, and civic groups on our lives
d.How rules and norms of groups to which we
belong impact our lives
II. Power, Authority, and Governance
a.Rules and laws can serve to support order and
protect individual rights.
b.The foundation of American constitutional
democracy – from the US Constitution, the rule
of law, separation of power, and checks and
balances
c.Fundamental rules of democracy: the common
good, liberty, justice, equality, and individual
dignity
d.Basic elements of government in the United
States: executive, legislative, judicial
e.Ways in which governments meet the needs
and wants of citizens