In the beginning, in 1789, the Presidential Inauguration was held on March 4 because it was four months after the elections. These four months gave the new President, Vice President, and members of Congress time to move to Washington DC. In modern times, it doesn't take long to travel, so waiting four for months for the newly-elected officials to begin their term made it hard for the government to run. So in 1933, the Twentieth Amendment was written, naming January 20th as Inauguration Day. The first President and Vice President to be inaugurated on January 20th was President Roosevelt and Vice President Garner in 1937.
Since January 20th was on a Sunday this year, Obama's inauguration was held in private, in the Blue Room of the White House. The public ceremony was held on Monday, January 21, 2013 at the United States Capitol building. In his speech, Obama talked about the right for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all Americans. He shared how he thinks that our commitment to the Declaration of Independence makes us unique. He also talked about moving forward and the changes that he sees need to made to Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security. The inaugural parade went from the U.S. Capitol and along Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., ending at the north face of the White House.
