Lame-Duck Session and How January 20th became Inauguration Day: FDR to the Present

Presidential Inaugurations were originally held on March 4th, unless the day fell on a Sunday, in which case, out of respect for the Lord’s day, it was moved to Monday, March 5.

This was the case in the years 1821, 1849, 1877, and 1917 … continue reading …

Download as PDF …

Unfortunately, there was a four month “lame-duck” period between when Presidents were elected in November, after harvests were taken in and before winter storms, and when they traveled to the Capitol for the Inauguration, which took place in March.

In fact, it was during a “lame-duck” period that Democrat President James Buchanan allowed the situation to worsen prior to the Civil War, with seven states seceding before Lincoln was sworn in on March 4, 1861.

Buchanan even had Democrats in his administration secretly undermining the Union by transferring cannons and military supplies to the South to give the Confederacy an advantage.

Ulysses S. Grant criticized Buchanan’s Democrat Secretary of War, John Floyd of Virginia:

“Floyd, the Secretary of War, scattered the army so that much of it could be captured when hostilities should commence, and distributed the cannon and small arms from Northern arsenals throughout the South so as to be on hand when treason wanted them.”

To shorten the “lame-duck” period, the 20th Amendment was adopted in 1933, moving Inauguration Day to January 20th.

In Inaugural Addresses Presidents consistently acknowledged God, as Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote in Lynch v Donnelly, 1984:

“Our history is replete with official references to the value and invocation of Divine guidance in … official announcements of Presidents.”

32nd President Franklin Roosevelt mentioned in his INAUGURAL, January 20, 1945:

“As I stand here today, having taken the solemn oath of office in the presence of my fellow countrymen — in the presence of God — I know that it is America’s purpose that we shall not fail …

The Almighty God has blessed our land in many ways.

He has given our people stout hearts and strong arms with which to strike mighty blows for freedom and truth. He has given to our country a faith which has become the hope of all peoples in an anguished world.

So we pray to Him now for the vision to see our way clearly — to see the way that leads to a better life for ourselves and for all our fellow men — to the achievement of His will, to peace on earth.”

33rd President Harry S Truman stated in his INAUGURAL, January 20, 1949:

“In performing the duties of my office, I need the help and the prayers of every one of you …

The American people stand firm in the faith which has inspired this Nation from the beginning … We believe that all men are created equal because they are created in the image of God. From this faith we will not be moved …

People everywhere are coming to realize that what is involved is material well-being, human dignity, and the right to believe in and worship God …

We are aided by all who desire freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom to live their own lives for useful ends. Our allies are the millions who hunger and thirst after righteousness (Matthew 5:6) …

Steadfast in our faith in the Almighty, we will advance toward a world, where man’s freedom is secure … With God’s help the future of mankind will be assured in a world of justice, harmony, and peace.”

34th President Dwight Eisenhower stated in his INAUGURAL, the first to be televised, January 20, 1953:

“Before I begin … would you permit me the privilege of uttering a little private prayer of my own. And I ask that you bow your heads.

Almighty God, as we stand here … beseeching that Thou will make full and complete our dedication … Give us, we pray, the power to discern clearly right from wrong and allow all our words and actions to be governed thereby …

Especially we pray that our concern shall be for all the people regardless of station, race, or calling.

May cooperation … be the mutual aim of those who … hold to differing political faiths; so that all may work for the good of our beloved country and Thy glory. Amen …

We are summoned … to witness more than the act of one citizen swearing his oath of service, in the presence of God. We are called as a people to give testimony in the sight of the world our faith that the future shall belong to the free…

We find ourselves groping to know the full sense and meaning of these times in which we live. In our quest of understanding, we beseech God’s guidance …

We who are free must proclaim anew our faith. This faith in America … governed by eternal moral and natural laws. This faith defines our full view of life. It establishes beyond debate, those gifts of the Creator that are man’s inalienable rights, and that makes all men equal in His sight …

This faith rules our whole way of life. It decrees that we, the people, elect leaders not to rule but to serve … a conscious renewal of faith in our country and in the watchfulness of a Divine Providence.

The enemies of this faith know no god but force … They tutor men in treason. They feed upon the hunger of others. Whatever defies them, they torture, especially the truth …

Love of liberty means the guarding of every resource that makes freedom possible — from the sanctity of our families and the wealth of our soil to the genius our scientists …

This is the work that awaits us all, to be done with bravery, with charity, and with prayer to Almighty God.”

35th President John F. Kennedy stated in his INAUGURAL, January 20, 1961:

“For I have sworn before you and Almighty God, the same solemn oath our forbears prescribed nearly a century and three quarters ago.

The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life.

And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe — The belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.”

36th President Lyndon B. Johnson stated in his INAUGURAL, January 20, 1965:

“We have no promise from God that our greatness will endure … If we fail now, we shall have forgotten … that the judgment of God is harshest on those who are most favored.”

37th President Richard Nixon stated in his INAUGURAL, January 20, 1969:

“As all are born equal in dignity before God, all are born equal in dignity before man.”

38th President Gerald Ford did not give an Inaugural Address, but stated upon assuming office, August 9, 1974:

“I am acutely aware that you have not elected me as your President by your ballots, and so I ask you to confirm me as your President with your prayers …

I now solemnly reaffirm my promise … to uphold the Constitution, to do what is right as God gives me to see the right.”

39th President Jimmy Carter stated in his INAUGURAL, January 20, 1977:

“‘What does the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.'”

40th President Ronald Reagan stated in his INAUGURAL, January 20, 1981:

“We are a nation under God … It would be fitting … I think, if on each Inauguration Day in future years it should be declared a day of prayer …

With God’s help, we can and will resolve the problems which now confront us. And after all, why shouldn’t we believe that? We are Americans.”

41st President George H.W. Bush stated in his INAUGURAL, January 20, 1989:

“Heavenly Father, we bow our heads and thank You for Your love … Make us strong to do Your work, willing to heed and hear Your will …

And if our flaws are endless, God’s love is truly boundless … God bless you and God bless the United States of America.”

42nd President Bill Clinton stated in his INAUGURAL, January 20, 1993:

“The Scripture says, ‘And let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season, we shall reap, if we faint not’ …

With God’s help, we must answer the call. Thank you and God bless you.”

43rd President George W. Bush stated in his INAUGURAL, January 20, 2001:

“I will work to build a single nation of justice and opportunity. I know this is within our reach, because we are guided by a Power larger than ourselves, Who creates us equal in His image.”

44th President Barack H. Obama stated in his INAUGURAL, January 20, 2009:

“The time has come to reaffirm … the God-given promise that all are equal … This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny …

With eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations. Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.”

45th President Donald J. Trump stated in his INAUGURAL, January 20, 2017:

“We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones — and unite the civilized world against Radical Islamic Terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the Earth …

The bedrock of our politics will be a total allegiance to the United States of America, and through our loyalty to our country, we will rediscover our loyalty to each other.

When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice. The Bible tells us, ‘How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity’ …

There should be no fear – we are protected, and we will always be protected. We will be protected by the great men and women of our military and law enforcement and, most importantly, we are protected by God …

A new national pride will stir our souls, lift our sights, and heal our divisions. It is time to remember that old wisdom our soldiers will never forget: that whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots, we all enjoy the same glorious freedoms, and we all salute the same great American Flag.

And whether a child is born in the urban sprawl of Detroit or the windswept plains of Nebraska, they look up at the same night sky, they fill their heart with the same dreams, and they are infused with the breath of life by the same Almighty Creator …

Yes, Together, We Will Make America Great Again. Thank you, God Bless You, And God Bless America.”

46th President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., stated in his INAUGURAL, January 20, 2021:

“I thank my predecessors of both parties for their presence here …

You know the resilience of our Constitution and the strength of our nation. As does President Carter, who I spoke to last night …

I have just taken the sacred oath each of these patriots took — an oath first sworn by George Washington …

We come together as one nation, under God, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries …

I close today where I began, with a sacred oath. Before God and all of you I give you my word …

And, devoted to one another and to this country we love with all our hearts. May God bless America and may God protect our troops.”

47th President Donald J. Trump will give his INAUGURAL, January 20, 2025.

After surviving an assassination attempt, he stated in his nomination acceptance speech:

“I stand before you in this arena only by the grace of Almighty God …

In an age when our politics too often divide us, now is the time to remember that we are all fellow citizens — we are one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in Town of Greece v. Galloway, May 5, 2014:

“Legislative prayer has become part of our heritage and tradition, part of our expressive idiom … the Pledge of Allegiance, Inaugural prayer, or the recitation of “God save the United States and this honorable Court” at the opening of this Court’s sessions …

Ceremonial prayer is but a recognition that, since this Nation was founded and until the present day, many Americans deem that their own existence must be understood by precepts far beyond the authority of government to alter.”

Download as PDF …

Read as American Minute post