Presidential Inauguration

On January 20, 2009, the 44th President of the United States was inaugurated. A train, the "Obama Express," made three stops before the President- Elect made it to Washington, D.C. The President-Elect took the same train route that former President Lincoln took in 1861. He traveled to Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and then onto Washington D.C.

It was around 6:30 a.m. and already a crowd of people were waiting for the President-Elect to arrive. Over two-and-a-half million people attended the inauguration. It was 19 degrees Fahrenheit outside, there were a limited number of bathrooms, and there was no food in sight. Everyone was bundled up warmly and prepared to endure the eight hours of cold temperatures. People were forced to walk out onto streets and onto highways. There was ultimately no way of escaping the crowd. There were three different ticket lines that stretched around corners and down the streets for admission into the inauguration ceremonies. The ticket types were silver, orange, and VIP. The VIP tickets lead straight to the capital, the orange tickets lead to the sides of the reflection pool, and the silver tickets lead to the front of the Lincoln Memorial.

Vendors lined the streets selling Obama hats, buttons, posters, and calendars. Some people waved flags in the air, others held up posters giving a shout out to their hometowns and some held their children up to get a better view.

At 11:00 a.m., it was time to start bringing in the new members of the white House. Aretha Franklin sang "My Country `Tis of Thee." The first person sworn in was the Vice President-Elect Joe Biden. Then, George Bush announced he was leaving office. Shortly after, President-Elect Barack Obama was sworn into office making him the 44th president and the first African-American as commander in chief. President Obama then gave his speech to the American people and people present from various countries. People all over the world witnessed Obama’s swearing in. We met people from Japan, Poland, Pakistan, India, Peru, and Kenya who all watched the ceremony. There were also celebrities such as Tom Hanks, Donavon McNabb, and Oprah at the Inauguration. Ellen Degeneres filmed her show on the grounds that day.

This was one of the biggest inaugurations in the history of the United States. President Barack Obama and the First Lady Michelle Obama had a very long night scheduled. They had to attend to different Inaugural Balls. One of the 10 included the Youth Ball. This is the firs of its kind ever held by a president. Noticing the reaction in peoples’ eyes as their new president was sworn in was an amazing sight. Even young children listened patiently as President Barack Obama gave his speech. Even when leaving the D.C. area people were still hyped up knowing that Barack Obama was their new president. The Inauguration of the 44th President Barack Obama was an historical event to witness.