Glimpses #188: Presidential Inaugurations: "I do solemnly swear"
Format: 4-page bulletin insert
Our Price: $2.00 per pack (each pack contains 25 copies). Back issues are available only in packs of 25 copies.
Product Description: New York City was the capital of the young Unites States when George Washington was inaugurated as the country's first president. Federal Hall on Wall Street was already crammed with congressmen and foreign ambassadors when Washington arrived for the ceremony on April 30, 1789. However, as Washington prepared to take the oath, it suddenly was discovered that a Bible was not present, and it was impossible to take the oath without a Bible! New York State Chancellor Robert Livingston remembered that the Masonic Lodge just down the street had a beautiful Bible, which was quickly brought so the ceremony could begin.
The Bible was placed on a red velvet cushion and opened at random to Genesis 49:50. Americans would later consider it providential that the Bible opened to Genesis 49:50, the chapters in which Jacob reassured his sons of their promise of a new land. Washington placed his hand on the opened Bible and recited the Presidential oath, adding the words, "I swear, so help me God!" He then bent down and kissed the open Bible. When he added the words and kissed the Bible, Washington was following a practice used in royal coronations and in British and colonial courts of the day. Later Presidents have continued to follow the precedent Washington established.
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